I love teaching and sharing the learning experience with my students. My perspectives on teaching have evolved significantly over my career, but I remain dedicated to the idea that while history can be painful and disturbing, and the practice must be disciplined and rigorous, exploring the past can be a source of edification and wonder. Whether in small seminars, large lectures, or online, I strive to find individualized ways to connect my students to the past. I encourage experimentation, imaginative assignments, self-directed learning, and even playfulness when exploring the critical thinking and writing skills required of historians and engaged citizens.

I embrace the spirit of experimentation and I encourage my students to think beyond the essay and the exam. In several of my classes I have incorporated alternative assignments such as game design, dramatic writing, walking tours, and other outputs which still require meticulous research but embrace an experimental and creative approach to the course material. These are often more work than a traditional essay, but they challenge students to explore their topics from new perspectives, and often require collaborative approaches to research and creation. Even if they do not always produce the desired results, if the effort and thought are there, even failed attempts can be rewarding learning experiences.

I encourage students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their history work by challenging them to question authoritative narratives, to explore the context of historical sources, and to grasp the ways our understanding of the past has changed. In every course I try to guide my students to develop their own understanding of the past and to grasp how historical interpretations shape our world. Historical writing and thinking skills are not limited to the classroom but will be useful for students throughout their lives.

Finally, I am convinced that the art of storytelling is a crucial component of history education. In whatever I teach, I try to ensure my students leave the classroom wanting to learn more and that they are equipped with the tools to do so on their own.

Recent Teaching Awards

2021 Huron University College Students Council Teaching Award

2020 Huron Faculty of Arts and Social Science Teaching Excellence Award

Courses Taught:

History 1203: Making Canada
HIST 1818: Treasure: Objects of Desire in Global History
HIST 2415: The Age of Napoleon
HIST 2701: Patterns and Perspectives in Global History
HIST 2712: Tyrants: Historical Profiles in Oppression and Resistance
HIST 2714: Merchants of Empire: The First Global Corporations
HIST 2801: History Wars (Public History)
HIST 3797: The Sixty Years’ War: Imperialism and Settlement on the Great Lakes, 1754-1815
HIST 3812: Historical Fantasies: The Uses and Abuses of the Past in Popular Culture
History 4812: The British Empire in the Age of Revolution