I value the integration of critical analysis/theory with practical career preparation, experiential learning, and community-based learning. 

 

Courses Taught

Graduate level

Portland State University

• Introduction to Book Publishing
  • Provides a detailed overview of the publishing process, organized around the division of labor, including introductions to contemporary American publishing, issues of intellectual commerce, copyright law, publishing contracts, book editing, book design and production, book marketing and distribution, and bookselling. Based on work in mock publishing companies, students prepare portfolios of written documents, i.e., book proposals, editorial guidelines, design and production standards, and marketing plans. Guest speakers from the publishing industry and field trips provide exposure to the industry.
• Book Editing
  • Provides a comprehensive course in professional book editing, including editorial management, acquisitions editing, substantive/developmental editing, and copyediting. Issues specific to both fiction and nonfiction books will be covered.
• Book Marketing
  • Comprehensive course in professional book marketing. Issues specific to marketing of fiction and nonfiction books in variety of genres and markets will be covered. Students will do market research, produce marketing plans, write press releases, write advertising copy, and develop related marketing materials.
• Researching Book Publishing
  • Students will learn about book publishing research methods (qualitative, quantitative) and work through various stages of their final research paper for the culmination of the Book Publishing Master’s Program. Students will emerge from the course with: 1) a measurable and right-sized research question that is valuable to the industry and addresses gaps in the literature; 2) a methodology plan; 3) sample paper outlines that refine their critical thinking skills.

Undergraduate level

Portland State University

• Book Publishing for Writers
  • This course offers writers who one day hope to publish a book an introduction to the processes of the book industry, such as finding an agent or publisher, honing editorial skills, working with designers, and creating marketing materials. Students will learn to write for different audiences, and to build on conceptual knowledge of audience, author, purpose, and context in order to create editorial, design, and marketing materials. As a Writing Intensive Course (WIC), students will write about the book they hope to publish in both informal and formal writing assignments to develop critical thinking, rhetorical knowledge, and an understanding of textual conventions in book publishing industry contexts. By the end of the course, students will have created a query letter, marketing plan, and edited document for a book concept of their choice.

Brigham Young University-Idaho

• Language Theory: Grammar and Usage
  • Theory and Practice of Language—Grammar and Usage is a required sophomore/junior level course for all English majors. This class assumes students already know the English language because they are native speakers or are comfortable with language arts—they speak and write sentences grammatically well. Martha Kolln and Robert Funk claim, “Knowing a language and knowing about a language are two very different kinds of knowledge.” On the other hand, this class also assumes students are less familiar about English and are uncertain how to discuss what makes those sentences grammatical. Therefore, the focus of this class is to help English majors understand and feel more comfortable with the terminology, principles, issues, and applications of language in their everyday lives.

College of Southern Nevada

• Basic Writing (introduction to college writing)
  • This is an intensive reading and writing course focusing on college-level critical reading and essay writing strategies. This course is designed for students whose ACT or SAT scores indicate that they would benefit from an additional semester of English before beginning their college level work.

University of Stirling

• Texts and Contexts (introductory literary analysis course)