Teaching

I summarize my teaching philosophy as “rigor with support.” I expect vigorous effort and extremely high-quality work from my students, and I do all I can to help students meet these high expectations.

Courses Taught

  • CAS 100A "Effective Speech" (instructor of record x29)
    • I have spent the majority of my time as a teacher working with students in "the basic public speaking course," a graduation requirement at many universities. I am dedicated to instructing students in this important (and so often feared) life skill. Watching my students overcome their fears and accomplish their goals while speaking on important social issues over the course of the term is very rewarding.
    • I also served as the Assistant Director of the Basic Course in Penn State's Communication Arts & Sciences Department for the 2015-16 school year, where my duties included running and expanding the Semi-Annual Public Speaking Contest and assisting the Director in overseeing the 80+ sections of speech each semester.

  • CAS 100B "Group Communication" (interned)

  • CAS 100C "Message Analysis" (instructor of record)

  • CAS 175 "Persuasion and Propaganda" (TA x2, instructor of record x3)

  • CAS 214W "Speechwriting" (interned)

Sample syllabus documents available upon request.

Student Testimonials

  • "You have been such an amazing teacher and that is one of the main reasons as to why I wanted to perform so well on my speeches. I knew the standards you held us to and I always wanted to try and either meet those standards or surpass them. You made this class that could have been quite a drag into one that was engaging every single day. You have made us all more confident speakers and I could never thank you enough for that, Dr. C.”
  • “I think Dr. C was an outstanding teacher who was easily relatable and approachable, qualities that unfortunately are forgotten or missing with more professors on campus than you would expect.”
  • “The instructor really wanted the students to succeed. This was not an easy course by any means but the instructor was fair in her grading and her end-goal was always student improvement. I feel nearly every student improved in their public speaking abilities and there were so many opportunities to help deal with these issues. She truly worked hard to help the students and it was very clear by the end of the course that she did so with great success.”