Title:
Adjunct Associate Professor
Pronouns:
he, him, his
Subject Areas
World History
East Asian History
Archaeology
Humanities
Education
PhD, History, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, USA
MA, Asian Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, USA
MA, Archaeology, Meiji University, Japan
BA. Third World Studies, University of the South, USA
Teaching Locations
Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany
Ramstein, Germany
I joined the UMGC faculty in 2023. I teach World and Asian history with a focus on early Japanese history, archaeology, culture, and linguistic development. I spent over a decade in Tokyo as a graduate student, translator, and university instructor. While there, I participated directly in archaeological excavations and researched maritime exchange between Japan, Korea, and China.
Like many of you now, I was a non-traditional student (I was in my late twenties when I started graduate work.) I therefore appreciate the difficulties students face while trying to make ends meet and take care of family. I very much enjoy working with students of diverse backgrounds. Over the last two decades, I have taught and mentored students in Japan, Honolulu, and now Europe. In each location I find that I learn as much from my students as they from me.
When you take one of my courses you see that I emphasize active learning from day one. This means I always intersperse lectures and presentations with student-led activities, discussions, presentations and feedback. Rather than just requiring students to write research papers and complete exams, I ask them to communicate and participate actively with peers in the classroom. It is my goal and responsibility to make the topic of history both thought-provoking and memorable!
I prefer teaching but write as well. Examples include: “Classical Japan and the Continent” in Routledge Handbook of Premodern Japanese History; "Centralization and State Formation" in Japan Emerges: Introductory Essays on Premodern History; and "The Japanese Missions to Tang China, 7th-9th Centuries." About Japan: A Teacher's Resource, “Japan Society of New York” https://japansociety.org/news/the-japanese-missions-to-tang-china-7th-9th-centuries/.
My current pastimes include reading British and European History and travelling throughout Europe. I’ve seen a lot, but still much to see and learn!
