INNOVATIVE TEACHING SHOWCASE

 

 

Profiles of Learning Community Members

Kendra Douglas

Kendra Douglas, of the department of Modern and Classical Languages Linguistics Program, received her Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. She teaches a wide variety of courses in Spanish, Portuguese and general linguistics, focusing primarily on phonetics and phonology. Her current research interests include: language and gesture shift in bilingual communities, internet as corpus, language contact and change, discourse analysis of graffiti, and technology in second-language acquisition.

Courses taught:

• LING 099 Linguistics Colloquium
• LING 204 Sociolinguistics
• LING 301 (315) Phonology
• LING 402 Portuguese Phonology/Elementary Language
• LING 402 Dynamics of Language Contact
• SPAN 301/302 Grammar Review and Composition
• SPAN 314 Phonetics
• SPAN 401 Advanced Grammar
• PORT 105 Intensive Portuguese

 

Vinit Jagdish

Vinit K. Jagdish, of the department of economics and Western's MBA program, received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2005. Prior to joining Western in the Fall of 2005, he taught economics at Kent State University for two years. While at Kent State, he received the Business Presidents' Roundtable award for excellence in teaching. His teaching and research interests include applied microeconomics, managerial economics, industrial organization and microeconomic theory. His current research examines the interplay of reputation and managerial decision-making as well as strategic information transmission in markets.

Courses taught:

• Econ 206: Introduction to Microeconomics
• ECON 306 Intermediate Microeconomics
• ECON 309 Managerial Economics
• ECON 406 Topics in Microeconomics
• MBA 502, 514: Microeconomics
• MBA 551: Managerial Economics

 

Johann Neem

Johann Neem is an associate professor in the History department. He teaches courses on the American Revolution, the early American republic, and American intellectual history. He is author of Creating a Nation of Joiners: Democracy and Civil Society in Early National Massachusetts (Harvard University Press, 2008).

Courses taught:

• HIST 103 American History to 1865
• HIST 155 The Idea of Utopia
• HIST 363 The American Revolution
• HIST 452 U.S. Intellectual History 1776-1900
• HIST 499 U.S. Intellectual History
• HIST 551 Early American Republic 1783-1840
• HIST 557 The American Revolution

 

Julia Sapin

Julia Sapin, of the department of art, received her Ph. D. in Japanese art history from the University of Washington in 2003. Her research focuses on intersections of art and design in Japan during the Meiji period, 1868-1912. She teaches courses on Asian and Pacific art history and visual culture, and seminars of art historical and exhibition theory and methodology in the Art Department.

Courses taught:

• A/HI 270, Visual Culture in South and Southeast Asia
• A/HI 271, Visual Culture in East Asia (also taught as a FIG)
• A/HI 275, Introduction to Writing and Critical Thinking
• A/HI 310, Indigenous Arts of the Pacific Northwest
• A/HI 368, Pacific Arts and Visual Culture
• A/HI 370, Visual Cultures of Islam
• A/HI 371, Tradition and Transformation: Art and Visual Culture in Japan
• A/HI 396, Summer Art/Art History Program in Japan
• A/HI 411, Contemporary Japanese Visual Culture
• A/HI 450, Colonization and Cross-Cultural Encounters
• A/HI 490, Exhibition Theory and Practice

 

Pete Stelling

Pete Stelling, department of Geology, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2003. Prior to arriving at Western, he taught for two years in the Geology Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His research interests include various aspects of volcanology, including caldera formation, lava flow development, and igneous geochemistry and modeling. In addition, Pete is expanding his research horizons into geothermal resource exploration.

Courses taught:

• GEOL 101 Introduction to Geology
• GEOL 211 Physical Geology
• GEOL 213 GIS in Geology
• GEOL 252 Earth and Its Weather
• GEOL 397D Economic Geology
• GEOL 406 Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology
• HNRS 158 Introduction to Geology

 

Grace Wang

Grace Wang, from the department of environmental studies, has taught at Western since 2002. She is an Associate Professor of Natural Resource Policy at Huxley College, teaching courses in environmental policy, natural resources and sustainability. Grace's research addresses non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and community-based forestry. Recent research has looked at how different groups of people have gathered resources throughout history, addressing socio-cultural implications of why people gather NTFPs. She has a degree in Resource Economics from UC Berkeley, and a Master's and Ph.D. in Forestry from the University of Minnesota.

Courses taught:

• ESTU 202 Intro to Environmental Study & Sustainability
• ESTU 304 Environment and Resource Policy
• ESTU 320 Explorations in Environmental Studies
• ESTU 402 Topics in Environmental Studies
• ESTU 442 Public Land Policy
• ESTU 467 Natural Resource Policy

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