Jennifer C.
Private tutor in Reno, NV
Education
Manchester University BS, Sociology/Gender Studies, 2002 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee MA, Sociology, 2006 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee PhD (ABD), Urban Studies
Experience
Teaching Philosophy I have ten years of experience teaching online. Even when I teach face-to-face courses, I always incorporate online learning because I have found that students relate and engage in different and sometimes deeper ways in the virtual realm. I work to meet students where they are at and bring them all of the things I fell in love with about Sociology with excitement, passion, relevant examples from their daily lives, and creative assignments. I incorporate the foundations of Sociology with pieces of pop culture, current events, social media, student life, and combine these things with work that allows students to express themselves, apply their new knowledge, and that encourages critical thinking and connecting the dots. I develop and implement easy to follow, exciting and inclusive, and insightful syllabi and curriculum that draws upon current trends in teaching Sociology as well as my own ‘best practices’ based upon what has worked well in the past. I utilize all that I can in the online teaching format. I want to give students the best resources, help them navigate the Sociological world, and also, provide them with ways to go out into the material world engage in Sociology on a self-guided field trip or observational experiment, and come back to the internet course to share their experiences with their peers. My teaching is well rounded, draws upon multiple resources and formats, and is deeply student-centered. I am grounded by my passion and respect for Sociology, as well as my appreciation and gratitude for the role of Sociology and higher education in my life. Education University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee PhD, ABD, Urban Studies June 2017 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee MA, Sociology June, 2006 Manchester College (Manchester University) BS, Sociology May, 2002 Minor, Gender Studies May, 2002 Work Experience Curtis Comprehensive Tutoring, Editing, Writing, Sole Proprietor April 2016 - Present Online, Reno Nevada, Bay Area, CA Work with clients one-on-one or in small groups to tutor in areas of their choice ranging from reading, writing, test preparation, editing, proofreading, Sociology, note-taking, study skills, and college admissions help. Own business, marketing, writing, editing, organization, and accountability. Associate Lecturer, Adjunct Instructor Urban Studies, Online January 2008-May 2015 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Designed and taught courses in Urban Studies, including Urban Studies 150: Multicultural America, Urban Studies 250: Exploring the Urban Environment, and Urban Studies 350: Perspectives on the Urban Scene, Urban Food Geographies, Urban Agriculture, a majority of these courses being taught Online. Emphasized critical thinking, community engagement, and individual self-discovery in an accessible yet academically challenging way that relied upon intensive reading, thoughtful and meaningful assignments, and multiple formats of discussion, sharing, listening, and learning as a co-created community of learners devoted to achieving the course outcomes. Conducted meetings with students online and face-to-face to directly assess and engage them in course assignments. Encouraged student ownership and engagement in the course via assignments that allowed for individual passions to shine through and that required students to get directly involved with the cityscape via attempts at urban gardening, interviewing local leaders, blogging about urban food, and presenting their work to their peers via online discussion forums or face-to-face formats. Utilized a variety of resources intended to expose students to critical information in accessible, engaging, creative, and relevant ways. Integrated campus events, the urban environment, local leaders, and guest speakers, including renowned food scholars Raj Patel and Michael Pollan, into the fabric of the course to allow for a fuller and more engaging learning experience for students that went beyond classroom materials, assignments, and the classroom door. Teaching Assistant, Ethnic Studies August 2006 - December 2007 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Responsible for the design and teaching of four weekly discussion sections corresponding to Ethnic Studies 203: American Indian Communities of the Great Lakes. Worked closely with lead professor and other teaching assistants to ensure students had access to course materials, knowledge and support with course assignments, and progressed towards satisfactory achievement of course goals. Implemented creative means of engaging students in small group discussions, weekly, to build upon content given in larger lecture and to prepare students for future assignments and exams. Teaching Assistant, Sociology, Online and Face to Face August 2004- May 2006 University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Responsible for the design and teaching of weekly discussion sections corresponding to Sociology courses which included Soc 104: Social Psychology, Soc 338: The Sociology of Small Groups, online and face-to-face, and Soc 375: the History of Sociological Thought. Graded assignments, including papers, weekly discussion activities, final exams, and for the online courses managed classroom discussion forums to monitor for student engagement, relevancy of conversation, in addition to providing weekly personalized replies to each student to foster growth towards course learning outcomes. Adjunct Instructor, Sociology August 2012- December 2012 University of Wisconsin, Green Bay Green Bay, WI Designed and implemented the online course Urban and Regional Studies 310:/Sociology 310: Urban Sociology, that built upon the scholarship and syllabus of the course core instructor, Professor Ray Hutchison, renown Urban Studies scholar. Created innovative and engaging weekly discussion topics and other assignments designed to foster an online learning environment rooted in scholarly rigor, interpersonal respect, and multilayered approaches to student dialogue and interaction that provided support for students as they worked towards satisfactory achievement of course goals. Adjunct Instructor, Sociology August -December, 2014 Gavilan College Gilroy, CA Soc 3: Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Identity, Soc 1B: Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems,Soc 1: Introduction to Sociology. Adjunct Instructor, Sociology August 2012 - May 2014 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA/Watsonville, CA SOC 1: Introduction to Sociology, SOC 2: Contemporary Social Problems, Adjunct Instructor, Sociology August -December 2013 San Jose State University San Jose, CA SOC 175: Sociology of Gender: Masculinities and Femininities,SOC 172: LGBT Studies Other Training and Experience Fluent and skilled in utilizing Blackboard, Desire2Learn, and Canvas online educational tools. Certificate for Blended and Online Teaching, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Learning Technology Center, Awarded, September 17, 2010. UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity (IRE) Campus Reading Seminar, Organizer, Grant-writer, Spring Semester 2011: To focus on The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, and The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, Aldon Morris. Rewards and Accolades Recipient Scott Greer Award, Urban Studies Programs, for doctoral research, Awarded April 2013. Featured in University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee’s College of Letters and Science Faculty and Staff Newsletter, Collegium December 2010: Special Edition, Food and Culture. Urban Studies Teaching Fellow, Urban Studies Programs, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Awarded 2010-Present. Additional Work Experience Girl Scouts of Milwaukee, Assistant Specialist Teen Programs, February – August 2004. Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Downer Ave. Milwaukee, Book Specialist, May 2003 – February 2004. Next Door Foundation Books for Kids, Milwaukee, Family Literacy Assistant, August 2002 – January 2003. Lowry’s Books and More, Three Rivers, Michigan, Book Specialist, August 1996 – August 2001.
Availability
Any day at any time
Can Meet
Up to 15 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
In addition to being a tutor and academic, I am also a poet. I enjoy writing every day and you can see some of my work here: http://jennycurtiswriterpoet.blogspot.com/
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