Teaching

Teaching Experience

I have considerable teaching experience in German Studies, Film Studies, and German History. My research-led teaching encompasses twentieth and twenty-first-century German cinema (especially Weimar Cinema, Trümmerfilme, East German cinema, and Berlin on film), post-1945 German politics, East German culture and society, and postwar German memory cultures. I have previously taught at a number of universities in the UK including the University of Leeds, Royal Holloway University of London, the University of Hull, and King’s College London.

I am currently a wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin with the Lektorat Englisch at the Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder where I teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Here, the focus is equipping students with the academic and professional skills needed to communicate effectively when studying at English-language universities and/or in the international workplace. My courses place considerable emphasis on inclusive and collaborative working and learning environments. I currently offer four courses: From Cinema Screens to Computer Screens: The Future of Entertainment; #RhodesMustFall: Statues from the Past in Today’s World; A Disunited Kingdom? The UK Beyond England; Wissenschaftskommunikation (UniCert III).

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I am currently embarking on the Zertifikatsprogramm Hochschullehre Brandenburg (accredited by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hochschuldidaktik).

Inclusive Pedagogy

I have a particular interest in inclusivity and inclusive teaching practices, especially in relation to inclusive assessment and the hidden curriculum. I was previously appointed a Senior Fellow in Inclusivity and I am currently working on a project about Language Mediation as part of the Programm Kooperationsgruppen Digitale Lehre (Prokodil) at the Europa-Universität Viadrina.

In my teaching, I actively seek to identify and remove barriers to participation. I have particular expertise in supporting first-generation students.

I have developed a range of resources to support students in undertaking independent study and essay writing. The resource below, for instance, is designed to help students when undertaking online learning.

Teaching Principles

Three core principles inform my teaching:

  1. Identify barriers to participation.
    On its own, “because the was…” is no justification for “why it is”. Where barriers cannot be removed, make sure you can explain why they need to remain. Do not rely on reasonable adjustments to achieve equality. These locate the barrier to participation in the individual, not the system that perpetuates them.

  2. Do not use academic standards as a reason to continue exclusionary practices.
    Do not perpetuate inflexible approaches or unrealistic demands you may have experienced as a student. These were not “character building”, nor should they be passed on to future generations. “Academic norms” should not be a fig leaf for bad practice.

  3. The way you approached your studies is not a blueprint for others to follow, nor is it best practice.
    It is no one else’s business what another person’s motivation is for undertaking a degree. Very few, if any, students in a seminar room will seek a career in academia. Make sure you prepare students for their possible futures, not yours.