Teaching

Teaching Philosophy:

I am a firm believer in inclusive, inquiry-based, and hands-on learning. In my classrooms, students are doing history. We, as a class, ask questions, engage with the existing scholarship and debates, and look for primary source evidence; we then construct, question, and refine arguments. Along the way, I expose students to an interdisciplinary toolkit, different theoretical frameworks, the importance of global connections, and the value of environmental history. Together, we also wrestle with methodological challenges as we try to include historically marginalized voices. It is in this context that oral histories and traditions, as well as reading against the grain or searching for subaltern voices, have been essential elements of my teaching philosophy.

Teaching Experience:

Bridgewater College, since fall 2015 (including upcoming semester offerings):

  • HIST 110: World History since 1500
  • HIST 112: Introduction to World History (fall 2024)
  • HIST 285X: Monuments, Memorials, and Museums (former January interterm course)
  • HIST 311: Early Modern Europe in the World, 1492-1789
  • HIST 321: Europe since 1789
  • HIST 370: Genocide
  • HIST 380: Nature and Empire (fall 2024)
  • HIST 380H (Honors Course): Nature, History, and the Making of Modern Europe
  • HIST 400: Professional Development for Historians (spring 2025)
  • HIST 420: Modern Germany and Its Empires (spring 2025)
  • HIST 470: Internship
  • HIST 491: Research
  • HIST 499H: Honors Thesis
  • IDS 470H: Honors Capstone (Interdisciplinary Course) (spring 2025)

Northern Arizona University, summer 2011 – summer 2015:

  • HIS 102: World History II (also online)
  • HIS 240: The Development of Europe to 1650 (also online)
  • HIS 241: The Development of Europe since 1650 (also online)
  • HIS 300W (Intensive Writing): Young People in Post-WWII Europe/Europe’s Scrambles for Africa
  • HIS 344: Recent Europe
  • HIS 360: Modern Germany
  • HIS 366: The Holocaust
  • HIS 376: Modern Britain
  • HIS 460 (World History): European Imperialism
  • HIS 497: Independent Studies on German Resistance in Nazi Germany; The Bedzin Ghetto and the Holocaust; Public History, Memory, and the Holocaust; War and Genocide in Twentieth-Century Europe
  • HIS 498C (Capstone Seminar): Europe’s Great War, 1914-1918

Public and Digital History: 

Public and digital history is part of my scholarly identity. In the past, I worked in archives, museums, and as a tour guide (Imperial Castle Nuremberg). Plus, throughout my career, I have utilized countless digital tools for my research and teaching. Hands-on and experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students have been essential. For instance, at Northern Arizona University, I co-supervised two projects: the creation of a permanent exhibit tied to pieces of the Berlin Wall and an exhibit around a small town near Auschwitz before, during, and after the Holocaust. The latter traveling exhibit has been shown internationally, including in Poland and South Africa (for a summary news article see here); it also has a website providing additional tools and content. At Bridgewater College, I have been involved with History Unfolded, a project organized by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Students looked through the Harrisonburg Daily News Record (DNR). Our experiences became part of a blog-series unfortunately not available anymore.

Professional Development for Historians

In spring 2018, I first introduced a professional development class for historians at Bridgewater College. Juniors take this one-credit class meeting once a week to think about their lives beyond graduation. In class, students work on their individualized five-year plan, create/update resumes, and practice all kinds of skills; we also find ways to connect with alumni and existing networks.

Leadership 

I have long taken leadership positions – and more recently became much more intentional about doing so. In April 2023, I thus joined the Seventh GSO Leadership Academy. Consisting of twenty-five fellows from different disciplines, we met for an intense five-day workshop in Berlin. This initial setup was followed by another five day workshop in Darmstadt. The program, which I can highly recommend, ended with a LSA certificate.

Professional Development, Teaching Workshops, and Community Engagement: 

  • 7th GSO Leadership Academy, Berlin, Apr. 2023/Darmstadt Sept. 2023;
  • AP Reader/Grader, World History, remote, June 2023;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023 at Bridgewater College, film screening, “Denial” (2016) followed by a discussion;
  • AP Reader/Grader, World History, remote, May 2022;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022 at Bridgewater College, “History Unfolded,” including Eric Schmalz (USHMM) and Jennifer Goss (Echoes & Reflections), on Zoom;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 at Bridgewater College, book talk, “Escape to Virginia,” on Zoom;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020 at Bridgewater College, book talk, “War Refugee Board,” with Dr. Erbelding;
  • Co-Facilitator, SunTrust grant-funded two-day workshop on how to integrate professional development into your curriculum, Bridgewater College, Aug. 15 – Aug. 16, 2019;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2019 at Bridgewater College, film screening, “The Flat”;
  • Attendant, 10th and 12th annual May Symposium Conference Day, James Madison University, 2016 and 2018;
  • Organizer, an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018 at Bridgewater College, a film screening, “Misa’s Fugue,” and a discussion with directors;
  • Co-Facilitator, Annual Pedagogy Project, “Engaging Students in the Classroom and Beyond,” Bridgewater College, 2016/17;
  • Participant/Presenter, “Digital History & Interdisciplinary Learning,” Teaching Day, Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ, Jan. 2015;
  • Participant/Presenter, “The Future of Holocaust Education,” German Studies conference, Kansas City, MO, Sept. 2014;
  • Organizer/Presenter, “Teaching the Holocaust: A Conversation,” Teaching American History Grant, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, Feb. 2014;
  • Participant/Presenter, “Experiential Teaching & Learning In and Out of the Classroom,” Teaching Day, Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ, Jan. 2014;
  • Attendant, “Exploring the Future of Holocaust Education,” Arizona Education Summit, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 2013;
  • Participant, “Intersections of Culture and Learning,” Learning Community, Northern Arizona University, Fall 2012 to Spring 2013;
  • Research visit, grant from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, research around the persecution of homosexuals for integration into teaching, summer 2012;
  • Participant, “Teaching about the Holocaust through Eyewitness Testimony,” Jack and Anita Hess Seminar for Faculty, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C., Jan. 2011;