Philosophy

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I teach courses in Native American and Indigenous Studies, American Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, and Museum Studies. My classes have been cross-listed in Environmental Studies, History, and Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies Studies. I have experience teaching online courses.

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As a student said in a tearful goodbye, my classes embody the highest ideals of the university by giving students tools for identifying the hidden power relations that structure our everyday lives and institutions and asking what it would mean to live in ethical relation on Indigenous land. My classes take a place-based approach that foregrounds the histories and contemporary perspectives of marginalized peoples both locally and globally. My students find this deeply transformative as they apply course critiques to their immediate environments and begin to see familiar landscapes in a new light. 

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Students appreciate my consensus-based leadership style in which I give others resources they need to thrive and flourish as critical and creative thinkers. My students have taken on their own leadership roles organizing their peers and advocating to expand Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brandeis, demonstrating how my mentorship prepares students to become life-long, socially engaged learners. As one wrote in an email: "[Your work] inspired me to continue leveraging the power I have as a student to fight for NAIS after you leave Brandeis... Thank you for reminding us of Indigenous power, healing, hope and triumph in this particular political moment that can feel hopeless."