I’ve always loved being in a classroom. Back in grad school I didn’t get a TA-ship, but I had a great experience teaching test prep for The Princeton Review. That was a great place to develop a teaching style that could engage high school kids who had already been in school all day, didn’t want to be there, and didn’t get a grade. Since I got my Ph.D., I’ve been teaching college-level courses, and I also do private instruction and workshops on many conflict resolution topics, as well as my other areas of research.
I have taught several classes at UNLV, including both halves of the U.S. History survey (HIS 101 and 102), and courses covering Nevada and the Far West; Hospitality Security and Asset Protection; The History of Gambling; Crafting Creative Non-Fiction; The History of Casinos; Gambling and the Media; The History of Video Games; Conspiracy Theories in History; Alternate History; and Jazz History. For the past several years, I’ve been teaching mostly upper-division Honors seminars.
Here are a few recent syllabi:
- Jazz: An Improvisational American History
- The Meaning of Video Games
- Conspiracy Theories in History
- What If? Exploring Alternate History
- The History of Casinos
And a few older classes:
If you want a sample of my lecturing style, here is me from a few years ago on C-SPAN’s “Lecture in History” series: Birth of the Las Vegas Strip.
I teach other places, as well. I was a contributing faculty member and lecturer for Cass Business School’s Strategic Marketing in Las Vegas elective for eight years and have customized courses for private groups. I’ve also given my share of guest lectures at a variety of colleges and universities.