Teaching

Historically, I have taught courses in composition, literature, and creative writing. Currently, I am scheduled teach Writing II at Kean University in the spring. I am also tentatively scheduled to teach Writing for Gamers, an interactive course designed to help students learn the process of writing for video games, in the fall at Centenary University. Below is a list of sections I have taught in the past.

Literature and Themes: Metallica

Somerset Community College

Offered: Fall 2020

Isn’t that just noise? Since their debut in 1981  the music and entertainment world has struggled to understand the drive behind Metallica, one of the pioneers of the heavy metal genre. And while the band has many songs discussing the standard fare of the hard-rock universe (cars, booze, drugs, and violence), Metallica separates themselves with music that pulls from a variety of different universes. This course will look at the influence of a wide range of literature on the music of Metallica, including the works of Shakespeare, Hemingway, Lovecraft, Dalton Trumbo, and others. Lyrics, music videos, and literary works will be used to discover common motifs, and discuss such literary devices such as metaphor, trope, allusion, and more.

SYLLABUS 

Creative Writing

Somerset Community College

Offered: Fall 2020

Provides instruction for beginners in the craft of writing, teaching students how to revise work in progress. Involves practice in aspects of craft and promotes experimentation with different forms, subjects, and approaches; outside reading provides models and inspiration.

SYLLABUS 

Literature and Themes: Genocide Media

Somerset Community College

Offered: Fall 2021

Genocide, and the media surrounding it, often reluctantly invites readers into a world where humanity is tossed asunder, and social norms are ripped apart. Yet there is a recent decline in knowledge surrounding the Holocaust, a general lack of knowledge around other genocides, and, in the case of genocide against Native Americans, flat-out denial. This course reviews genocides through the use of the media surrounding them: literature, film, memoir, and new media, including platforms such as YouTube. Literary terms and terminology will be used to better understand the world around such events, and how the individuals involved perceived said events. 

SYLLABUS

Adolescent Literature

Rowan University

Offered: Fall 2018

Over the course of the last two decades, adolescent literature (known by terms such as Middle Grade, Young Adult/YA, and High School lit) has become a focal point for both emerging readers and various entertainment genres. Why, one must ask, has the literature of this space become so important? This 200-level elective explores the reasons and reasoning behind how this literature is composed, developed, edited, and marketed to both children and the adults who purchase books for them. Of particular interest is how this literature seeks to narrow down the definition of what it is to be an adolescent, and how such works can cross the lines of race, religion, sex, creed, and preference. Finally, we will discuss creative methods for creating such a work, and, in the spirit of educating the educators, we will discuss approaches to teaching said literature, on a micro and macro level. 

SYLLABUS

Children's Literature: Texts and Contexts

Rowan University

Offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2019

As it stands today, nearly every single piece of literature for children happens to be written by an adult. And while it’s fair to postulate that, since every adult was once a child themselves, they have a vision for what it is to write for children. However, this is not always the case. Instead of reflecting children’s values, we often end up with literature that reflects the time, space, and historical period in which it is conceived. Instead of simple works of aesthetic joy, we often end up with deep, multilayered works, reflective of the values and thoughts of a generation. Childhood, as we all know, is not simply defined by a single class, race, or geographic region. Rather, the experience of growing up is varied. In this course, we will explore how these works for children communicate various types of experiences, while gaining a greater understanding into the role of children’s literature in the literary canon as a whole. 

SYLLABUS

From the Mouth of Babes: Inappropriate Humor in Literature for Young People 

Rowan University

Offered: Spring 2019

From the earliest moments of our existence, we are able to express happiness, and, thus, begin our understanding of humor. Humor, in fact, is often seen as a “safe” space for children to explore themes that may otherwise be outside of their emotional level of understanding. What, however, defines the type of humor that is safe for children? Who decides when such humor is appropriate, by developmental standards? How do ideas of what it is funny change based on race, sex, creed, age, and generational demographics? How far is too far?  

In this seminar, we will explore how humor for children has changed across time, demographics, and location. We will look at what is considered funny by one time’s standards, and how our evolving understanding of issues such as sexuality has pulled certain issues out of the realm of humor and into the realm of social commentary. We will see how both Horatian and Juvenalian satire play a role in humor designed for children. We’ll discuss how modes of delivery for children are often perverted to give adults a few laughs. Finally, we’ll develop topics as it pertains to humor for children and culminate the course in a 15-20-page research paper relating to the readings and discovery in class.

SYLLABUS

English 101

(Note: This is a catch-all section for what is know as, at different institutions, English 101, English I, Composition I, or Writing I)

Kean University (Fall 2025 [2]); Somerset Community College (Spring 2024 [2], Fall 2023 [6], Spring 2023 [2], Fall 2022 [6], Spring 2022 [1], Summer 2021 [1], Fall 2021 [5], Spring 2021 [4], Fall 2020 [4], Summer 2020 [1], Spring 2020 [3], Fall 2019 [2]); Harcum College (Spring 2019 [2], Fall 2018 [2])

English 101 focuses on academic writing.  Provides instruction in drafting and revising essays that express ideas in Standard English, including reading critically, thinking logically, responding to texts, addressing specific audiences, researching and documenting sources.  Includes review of grammar, mechanics and usage 

KEAN SYLLABUS SOMERSET SYLLABUS HARCUM SYLLABUS

English 102

(Note: This is a catch-all section for what is know as, at different institutions, English 102, English II, Composition II, or Writing II)

Kean University (Spring 2026); Somerset Community College (Spring 2024 [3], Summer 2023 [1], Spring 2023 [4], Spring 2022 [1], Summer 2021 [1], Fall 2021 [2], Spring 2021 [2], Fall 2020 [1], Summer 2020 [1], Spring 2020 [2], Fall 2019 [2]); Harcum College (Spring 2018 [2], Fall 2017); Union County College (Fall 2017)

This course continues the development and strengthening of the language and communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking.  Readings from a variety of genres will be used to generate discussion and essays.  Among other assignments, a research paper will be required to demonstrate skills in effective research, information management, and technology. 

SOMERSET SYLLABUS HARCUM SYLLABUS

English 100

Somerset Community College

Offered: Fall 2019 [2], Spring 2020 [2]

Provides parallel and supplemental review of English skills needed for students with an English ACT of 18 or 19 or a Compass placement test score between 70 and 80 who are also enrolled in ENG 101. If these students withdraw from ENG 100, they must also withdraw from ENG 101. Credit cannot be received by special exam. 

First-Year Experience

Somerset Community College

Offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023 [2]

Introduces students to strategies and information that promote success in the college environment including educational planning, campus resources, and academic success skills. 

SYLLABUS