During my doctoral training, I served as a teaching assistant and discussion leader for a variety of courses. More recently, I have designed and taught courses in social epidemiology and the sociology of mental illness. I have an active interest in improving the well-being of college students, and I have published resources for faculty who wish to better care for the mental health of their students.
Social Epidemiology, University of Utah
[Sole Instructor, Fall 2023; see Syllabus]
Currently teaching this upper-level course (37 students) on the social determinants of health and mortality, with an emphasis on population disparities, their origins, and potential policy interventions to address them.
Sociology of Mental Illness, Indiana University
[Sole Instructor, Fall 2020; see Syllabus]
Taught a hybrid version of this upper-level course (48 students), meeting once per week in person and once per week via Zoom. As the sole instructor, I designed every aspect of the course, including three exams, two short writing assignments, and a semester-long research project.
Student Evaluations:
“Max was so involved and always open to hearing students’ thoughts, feelings, and opinions! He was extremely knowledgable and was often able to answer questions, but was not afraid to admit when he didn’t know everything about a particular theory or topic and would look into it for our next class!”
“Max was always available to answer questions and always very enthusiastic which made classes much more enjoyable. He used relevant examples in lectures and it made the class more interesting.”
“I can tell that Max is extremely knowledgable about the subject matter and he is very eager when he is teaching new material. I also like that he is very open–minded to hearing students’ opinions on certain topics through asking very thought–provoking discussion questions.”
“He did a great job teaching this course. He added personal experience to connect to the material, and created a safe space for students to also speak on their own experiences.”
Survey of Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison [Teaching Assistant, Fall 2016; see Syllabus]:
Taught two sections of this writing-intensive course (15 students each, with twice-a-week discussions ). I designed the entire TA syllabus and was given leeway with nearly all aspects of the course design, including crafting, evaluating, and grading all written and oral assignments (7 per student), and creating twice-weekly lesson plans.
Student Evaluations:
“If I didn’t know it was your first time being a TA, I wouldn’t think it at all. Max, you are so passionate and knowledgeable and it has made this class so interesting and enjoyable. Your discussions made my day. Thank you & keep doing great.”
“Max is one of my best TAs. He can readily explain almost all concepts comprehensively; most of my understanding of sociology is because of Max. Really, really great TA.”
“As a fourth year student I have had many different TA’s in many different classes. Max is likely the best I have had in my time at school here.”
Marriage and the Family, University of Wisconsin–Madison [Teaching Assistant, Spring 2017; see Syllabus]:
Taught five sections of this introductory course (nearly 20 students each, with once-a-week discussions). I collaborated with two other teaching assistants to produce a TA syllabus and weekly lesson plans.
Student Evaluations:
“Max does a really fantastic job making sure that he accommodates all of his student [sic] diverse styles of learning. For instance, he has started giving us pop quizzes to keep us up to date on course information, [including] group work, lectures, and many other activities to help the class stay actively involved. He is one of the best TA’s I have had thus far!”
“Loved that he took our suggestions into consideration and actually revamped how discussions went after hearing our suggestions. Was always very well prepared and very kind and knowledgeable.”
“TA was very thorough and EXTREMELY organized which made section enjoyable. He created a great environment within the classroom to make students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions on often fairly controversial topics.”
“Max is wonderful. He could not be more prepared for discussion sections or more knowledgeable about the material. I have the utmost respect for him, and I am so grateful to have had him as a TA. In my eyes, he really couldn’t have done better.”
“Overall, my TA did an excellent job at leading discussion. He had a solid understanding of course material and even brought in relevant sources found on his own time, providing an even richer discussion. Furthermore, he was incredibly responsive to communication and perfectly answered any questions that arose.”
“Although my section was not the most chatty group, he continually encouraged and prompted us. Very patient, very knowledgeable, very well-prepared, and great at getting a discussion going, even with a quiet group. I loved the “pop quiz” style worksheets toward the end of the semester because they allowed me to think on my own and test my own knowledge, before discussing with a partner or sharing with the large group.”
“Max did a wonderful job. He was very engaged with us and seemed very well-informed on the information and readings presented in class. He did a great job communicating with us through email; thoroughly enjoyed him.”
“Max (I think l can say his name …. ) was seriously the best!! He has a gift for getting people to talk and was always very well prepared. His discussion sections flowed smoothly and pertained perfectly to what we discussed in lecture. He was very open to questions and more than willing to go above and beyond to help students. He replied quickly to emails and is a huge part of why I liked/did so well in this class. Best TA I’ve had hands down. (Give this guy a raise.)”