Teaching

My teaching interests are in the areas of anthropology and education, qualitative (especially ethnographic) methods, research methodology, and womenÌs studies.

Courses frequently taught:

Qualitative Research Methods I (EDUC 8250)
Education research is a complex endeavor involving several different methodological approaches. This course focuses on one kind of approach: qualitative methods. These methods include various means of obtaining in-depth information about the behaviors and beliefs of people in naturally occurring social settings. This course aims to provide students with an introduction to the theoretical perspectives that underlie this methodological approach and the techniques for and issues in gathering, analyzing, writing-up, and using qualitative data.

This course is part of the required doctoral core in Education and is open to first-year doctoral students in Education only. Qualitative Research Methods II extends and elaborates on the topics covered in this course.

Culture and Ethnography in Education (EDUC 6325)
Applies anthropological perspectives to research in educational settings. Focuses on theories of culture, cultural transmission and acquisition, and cultural reproduction and production for understanding schooling and its outcomes.

Open to graduate students only.

Ethnographic Methods in Educational Research (EDUC 7346)
Explores the history of ethnography in cultural anthropology and its translation into educational research. Students learn about and practice participant observation, interviewing, journal writing, artifact searches, strategies for qualitative analysis and interpretation, and styles of reporting.

Open to graduate students only.