Ph.D. in Political Science

POLSC 10: U.S. Government & Politics POLSC 1: Political Controversies POLSC 2/PHIL2: Political Philosophy POLSC 30: Campaigns & Elections POSLC 12: State & Local Politics

People tend to leave political life alone, but politics effect every decision we, as a society, make - from school funding to whether babies live or die, whether we go to war, the structure of jobs, and if we have a clean environment to live in. If we choose not to participate, then there are others who will play an outsized role in these decisions.

For many students, community college is their first experience in higher education and I find it inspiring to be here at the beginning of their journey. I believe teaching here makes it easier to facilitate conversations at the other institutions.

The California Community College system is the largest experiment in mass public education the world has ever seen and it’s exciting to get to be a part of that – it is tide-turning for human history. As we create greater access to higher education, diversity increases as well, and these different levels of readiness or previous educational experiences is a reflection of our democracy.

Conversations between a student who, for example, might be returning to school after a decade out of the classroom, and another student who is on their way out the door to a prestigious institution can be very challenging, but it also improves my teaching. Sometimes the conversations don’t work but thinking about how to integrate all the diverse levels in the room makes for a better teacher.