I am always eager to support students, whether by hiring them as research assistants or directing their thesis or designing an independent study with them or writing them a letter of reference or assisting them with their initiatives.
I have had the most success working with students who
If you are interested in working or collaborating with me, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Research Assistantship
I hire and pay students to assist me with my research. The work that my research assistants complete ranges from finding relevant sources to annotating articles and books to proofreading and editing my writing. This work has the potential to become more collaborative, including co-authored writing. I ensure that my research assistants benefit from our work by helping them to build on their academic strengths and improve on their perceived weaknesses. I typically hire students who have successfully completed courses with me in the past.
My past research assistants have included
Directing Thesis / Independent Study
I would be interested in directing a thesis or designing an independent study on any of the following topics (broadly defined):
I have directed the following student projects:
Letter of Reference
If you have successfully completed a course with me or worked with me and would like me to write you a letter of reference, please set up a time to meet with me.
Supporting Student Initiatives
I have served as a faculty advisor for a number of student-run initiatives, including The Aquila and the Asian Student Union. I would be more than happy to learn about other student initiatives that I could support.
I have had the most success working with students who
- have clear academic and professional goals that I am specifically suited to help them accomplish,
- are invested in becoming stronger writers and more adept researchers,
- enjoy reading both literature and literary criticism, and
- are passionate about making the world a better place for marginalized peoples.
If you are interested in working or collaborating with me, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Research Assistantship
I hire and pay students to assist me with my research. The work that my research assistants complete ranges from finding relevant sources to annotating articles and books to proofreading and editing my writing. This work has the potential to become more collaborative, including co-authored writing. I ensure that my research assistants benefit from our work by helping them to build on their academic strengths and improve on their perceived weaknesses. I typically hire students who have successfully completed courses with me in the past.
My past research assistants have included
- Hailey Griffin ('24). Hailey assisted me with an article on "indie rap," which was published in the Journal of Popular Music Studies.
- You can read about my work with Hailey here.
- Sarah McClintock ('23). Sarah assisted me with the organizing and running of the symposium, "Care in Action."
- Callie Fritz ('24). Callie assisted me with an article on the representation of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Girls, which was published in Neurodiversity on Television (McFarland).
Directing Thesis / Independent Study
I would be interested in directing a thesis or designing an independent study on any of the following topics (broadly defined):
- Multiethnic American Literature (especially Asian American and African American),
- Contemporary Literature (1970s to present),
- Life Writing,
- Popular Music,
- Film,
- Disability Studies / Health Humanities, or
- Aesthetic Theory.
I have directed the following student projects:
- Julia Nielsen ('26). Honors Thesis on the representation of obsessive-compulsive disorder in young women's life writing (in progress)
- "African American Literature, Performance, and Music" (Spring 2026), an undergraduate-level course that I adapted from "African American Literature and Popular Music" for a group of theater majors,
- "Neuroethics" (Fall 2025), a PhD-level course for a student in Niagara University's Leadership and Policy program that considered the historical relationship between neurology and criminality, and
- "Literature and Mental Health" (Spring 2025), an undergraduate-level course for a student preparing for a career in counseling that focused on literary and filmic representations of depression.
Letter of Reference
If you have successfully completed a course with me or worked with me and would like me to write you a letter of reference, please set up a time to meet with me.
Supporting Student Initiatives
I have served as a faculty advisor for a number of student-run initiatives, including The Aquila and the Asian Student Union. I would be more than happy to learn about other student initiatives that I could support.