Teaching philosophy

My goal as an instructor is to empower students with the skills they need to use scientific evidence to critically evaluate the world around them and to pursue the questions, interests, and goals that matter to them. I describe my teaching philosophy as centered around principles of inclusivity (building a course that is welcoming and affirming to students with a variety of backgrounds, identities, access needs, and experiences) and responsiveness (adapting my teaching in response to to students’ goals, interests, feedback, and contributions). The list of courses I’ve taught or served as a teaching assistant for are below, as are some quotes about my teaching from my students. My full teaching statement is available via email.

Feedback from students

  • “Emma is very accessible and always willing to answer questions or approach a topic in a new lens if necessary for students. She's great at communicating and obviously had a desire to teach this course well. Really enjoyed learning from her!”

    —Winter 2022 Research Methods student

  • "Emma is a fantastic teacher, she genuinely cares about her students and fosters a great atmosphere in class that allows for in– depth discussions and engaging lessons!"

    —Winter 2023 Relationship Science student

  • "She was very generous with her time, quick to email back, and super understanding and knowledgable. I found that she explained things super clearly in a way that made sense to me– especially with some of the readings before the second exam that I found a bit confusing or hard to understand"

    —Spring 2022 Relationship Science student

Courses taught

Independent Study, Summer 2023

Relationship Science, Fall 2023 & Winter 2023, Northwestern University [Click here for an example syllabus]

  • Course description: What makes two people attracted to one another? What makes relationships thrive? In what ways do our identities and relationships influence each other? In this course, we will answer questions like these by exploring the field of relationship science, a discipline that uses the scientific method to study attraction and relationships. Throughout the course, we will pay particular attention to issues of diversity, including how people of various backgrounds and identities experience their relationships. The content covered in this course will focus primarily on insights drawn from social psychological research on romantic relationships. Psych 110 (introduction to psychology) or an equivalent is a pre-requisite for this course.

Research Methods, Winter 2022, Northwestern University

  • Course description: To fully understand the results of a research study, it’s important to know the methods researchers used to arrive at their conclusions. What was their hypothesis? What study design did they use to test it? What statistical analyses did they carry out? In this course, you will learn how researchers in the field of psychology design and implement studies to answer questions about human behavior and the human mind. You will get the chance to apply what you learn by working with your classmates to collaboratively design and run a study examining a research question that interests you. With the knowledge and experience you gain in this class, you will be better prepared to understand the research you encounter in your everyday life, whether it’s in media coverage from the popular press, a research article you read in a later course, or in your own future work.

Social Psychology, Summer 2020, Cook County Jail

  • Course description: Social psychology is the study of human social experiences—how we feel, think, and behave in the presence of others in our daily lives. In this class, we will explore a range of questions, such as: How does our culture shape our experiences? What drives the beliefs we hold about others? What makes for strong relationships? We will discuss psychological research on these and other topics and consider how they influence our everyday experiences.

Courses TAed

Negotiations, Summer 2022 & Summer 2023, Northwestern University

Relationship Science, Winter 2021 & Spring 2022, Northwestern University

  • Received departmental Florence Sales TA of the Year Award for TAing this course in 2022

Research Methods, Fall 2019 & Spring 2021, Northwestern University

Personality Psychology, Spring 2019 & Summer 2020, Northwestern University

Psychology of Beauty, Winter 2020, Northwestern University

Social Psychology, Winter 2018, Northwestern University