Teaching
In 2015, I received the University Distinguished Teacher Award, a recognition given to one faculty member each year from the entire Montclair State University community. I was honored and humbled, to say the least.
I am 100% passionate about my undergraduate courses which focus on wrongful convictions, the death penalty and criminal law and procedure. Great teaching combines a mastery of the subject matter with a willingness to tackle tough subjects in a safe environment. I strive to create a classroom that is respectful of different perspectives, and that pushes students to think critically about the world around them.
CLASSES
Below is a selection of the classes that I teach. Feel free to reach out to me for sample syllabi or model assignments. I’m happy to share what I do.
Wrongful Convictions JUST 340 is a transformative, interdisciplinary class, in which students are challenged to consider their perspective on the criminal justice system through an entirely different lens: what happens when the system does not work as it should, and innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not comment.
Death Penalty Perspectives JUST 326 is a highly interdisciplinary course that looks at capital punishment from an historical, legal, sociological, criminological perspective, and grapples with the moral and ethical questions of whether the death penalty is an appropriate punishment.
Just Mercy: Mass Incarceration, Wrongful Convictions and the Death Penalty JUST 398 is a Selected Topics course that uses “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson as its jumping off point to explore the influence and effects of race, poverty, mass incarceration, the death penalty and wrongful convictions.
Hate Crimes JUST 319 is a highly interdisciplinary and interactive course that looks at the subject of hate crimes, incorporating materials from Criminology, Sociology, Psychology, and Law.
Criminal Law and Procedure PALG 301 includes the theoretical rationale for various criminal laws and processes, the substantive subject material and its practical applications. The class also covers related criminal justice system issues, such as race and class, police and prosecution discretion, and sentencing.
Evidence PALG 317 examines the basic principles and rules governing trial advocacy, including the hearsay rule and its exceptions, the examination of witnesses (lay and expert), impeachment, privileges, real and demonstrative evidence, inference, judicial notice and presumptions. As anyone who teaches Evidence can imagine, this is an incredibly complex area of law to teach to undergraduate students.
Justice, Courts and Legal Systems JUST 204 is a required course for Justice Studies majors that introduces them to the intersection between justice and the civil, criminal, and juvenile justice systems.
Senior Seminar and Internship JUST 497 is the capstone course for all Justice Studies majors, and complements their applied internship experiences into the classroom setting.
COMMUNITY
But for me it’s not just about teaching in the classroom. It’s also about making a difference in the community.
I’m a leader in my department and served as Chair and Deputy Chair for several years. I also serve on various committees at the departmental, college and University levels. I believe in faculty engagement.
I am also the faculty advisor for the Montclair State University chapter of the Petey Greene Program. Through Petey Greene, http://www.peteygreene.org/, Montclair State students tutor incarcerated students at New Jersey prison facilities who are working to obtain their GED. You can read about the innovative Petey Greene program at Montclair State University, featured in the Montclair Magazine.
I’m also engaged in the local community as a Board Member of the Montclair Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to graduating Montclair High School students with demonstrated financial need.