Teaching goals
My largest goal is to contribute to the shaping of an intelligent and well-informed citizenry, one whose members have the knowledge and critical-thinking skills necessary to shape our planet's future responsibly.

I enjoy teaching at Iowa in part because I feel that this institution really helps to accomplish that mission: every year we reach many young people who may not start out with broad horizons, but who will gain valuable new expertise and perspective by the time they graduate.

Favorite students to teach
My favorite students are those who show real enthusiasm, passion, and curiosity. These traits obviously tend to correlate with academic success, but the correlation is imprecise. I would rather work with a passionate novice who is just getting turned on to medieval art than with a jaded veteran who has figured out how to get good grades without engaging very deeply with the material.

In the classroom
I lecture, I ask questions, and I try to nurture active discussion. As an art historian, of course, I must incorporate visual material into my classes. Because I believe that it's easier to see patterns if there are more dots to connect, I show many images in each class: I typically present one new image every minute or so in lecture.

Undergraduate Major in Art and Art History
School of Art and Art History