Classes
I teach undergraduate courses in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and graduate courses in the Department of History at the University of Toronto’s School of Graduate Studies. After focusing on administrative work for the past several years, I’m excited to return to the classroom starting January 2025.
CURRENT OFFERINGS
These are my latest courses for Winter 2025, blending historical inquiry with innovative teaching methods.
“Read My Lips,” poster created by Gran Fury, 1988.
HIS 374: Gender and Sexuality in the United States, 1945-Present
This undergraduate course historicizes the intersectional analysis of gendered and sexed bodies after 1945. We will explore topics such as normative gender expectations; reproductive freedom; masculinities; second-wave feminism; race, class and poverty; conservative backlash; media and gender/sexuality; LGBTQ social movements; and trans histories.
Book Cover, Kids on the Street, by Joseph Plaster, 2023.
HIS 1005: Reading Queer and Trans Histories of North America
This graduate seminar explores LGBTQ2+ histories in the U.S. and Canada, focusing on post-1945 developments. Emphasizing transnational and intersectional approaches, it examines the emergence of sexual and gender identity categories over time. Topics include histories of social movements; state regulation; dis/ability; queer and trans cultural production; Two Spirit activism; racial formation; transnational capital; and settler colonialism. Readings feature recent historical scholarship and key queer and trans theory, and course activities include a visit to The ArQuives in Toronto, the world’s largest and oldest queer community archive. I encourage students to engage through traditional assignments as well as creative methods like public writing and digital storytelling. Authors may include Julian Gill-Peterson, Susan Stryker, Hil Malatino, Kevin Mumford, Marc Stein, El Chenier, Albert McLeod, Steven Maynard, Marvellous Grounds, Julio Capo, Emily Skidmore, Joseph Plaster, and others.
FEATURED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
A glimpse at some of the undergraduate courses I’ve taught, designed to challenge and inspire students.
“Pride March is a First for City’s Gay Community,” by Chris Clay, Mississauga News, July 2008.
HIS 395: Queer Peel (Special Topics)
Offered in Winter 2020, this course explored the history of queer and trans life in Peel Region, where the University of Toronto Mississauga is located. It examined the often-overlooked experiences of LGBTQ2+ individuals in suburban and edge-city contexts, drawing on activist Anu Radha Verma’s insights about the rich but underrepresented history of organizing in these spaces. Students conducted oral history interviews and created a digital Omeka exhibition to document this history. The course gained local media attention, emphasizing its community-engaged approach to public history.
Oral History Interview in Progress, photograph by Lucas Blower, 2020.
HIS 395: LGBTQ2+ Oral History (Special Topics)
Offered in Fall 2020, this course explored how LGBTQ2+ people, like other marginalized groups, have turned to oral history to uncover and preserve their past. Students examined how scholars and community activists have used oral history to write intersectional narratives of LGBTQ2+ experiences, with a focus on post-1945 history. Participants developed practical skills, including creating interview guides and consent forms, navigating ethical considerations, conducting audio and video interviews, and analyzing and writing from oral history materials. The course’s central research creation project was a short video using oral history footage Students applied a social justice-oriented digital storytelling methodology developed by UC Berkley’s STORYCENTER.
Note: This project was conducted in collaboration with SOC 375: Sociology of International Migration, taught by Prof. Anna Korteweg. The two courses were supported by workshops that introduced digital storytelling methods and provided hands-on training in WeVideo, ensuring students could confidently craft meaningful narratives from their research.
“Thanksgiving 1628/1928,” print of original painting by J. C. Leyendecker, 1928.
HIS 272: The United States, 1877-Present
This survey course examined major political, social, and economic transformations in the U.S. from 1877 to the present. Topics included the rise of Jim Crow, immigration and urbanization, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII and the Cold War, post-1945 social movements, neoliberalism, and the post-9/11 era. Focusing on the theme of social justice and equality, the course explored how activists and reformers shaped understandings of justice through the state, legal systems, and public activism. Students analyzed the roles of race, gender, sexuality, faith, and class in these efforts and their impacts on U.S. history.
GRADUATE COURSE ARCHIVE
A look back at the graduate courses I’ve offered, fostering advanced historical research and critical thinking.