Teaching

I have found that the most effective learning happens when students discover things for themselves. Because of this, I believe that the best teaching simply facilitates student discovery of important concepts and ideas. As a teacher of linguistics, of course I hope to instill in my students a love of language and an understanding of its complexities. More importantly, though, I hope to help students become confident and independent thinkers and researchers that can engage with a wide-range of research and perspectives. I also fully support the Aims of a BYU education and strive to create courses and a learning environment that are spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, and character building, leading to lifelong learning and service.

Current courses (Fall 2025)

• Semantics, LING 332
• Mentored Research in Linguistics, LING 449R
• Foundations: Structure, LING 602

Previous courses

• Intro to English linguistics research methods, ELANG 273
  
  • Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Fall 2023
• Intro to linguistics (modern), LING 201
  
  • Spring 2024, Spring 2025
• Syntax , LING 325
  
  • Winter 2022, Winter 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2025
• Semantics, LING 332
  
  • Fall 2024
• Neurolinguistics, LING 561
  
  • Fall 2021 (as LING 580R, co-taught with Dan Dewey), Winter 2023 (as LING 580R, co-taught with Dan Dewey), Winter 2024, Winter 2025
• Readings in linguistics, LING 590R (Independent study)
  
  • Winter 2022, Summer 2024
• Foundations: Structure, LING 602
  
  • Winter 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2024, Fall 2024
• Advanced Syntax, LING 653
  
  • Winter 2025

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Intro to language science​, LING 100​
  
  • Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021 (online)
• Language, mind, and brain, LING 225​
  
  • Fall 2019, Fall 2020 (online)
• Individual study, LING 290
  
  • Spring 2021 (1 student)
• Elements of syntax, LING 301
  
  • Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2021 (dual presentation, online/face-to-face)
• Intro to linguistic structure, LING 400​ (online)
  
  • Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021
• Intro to psycholinguistics​, LING 425
  
  • Spring 2019, Spring 2020
• Neurolinguistics and ERP methods, LING 490
  
  • Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020

University of Maryland

• Introductory linguistics, LING 200 (TA)
  
  • Spring 2015
• Language and mind, LING 240 (TA)
  
  • Fall 2014 (honors, as HONR 218L), Fall 2015, Spring 2017
• Introduction to syntax, LING 311 (TA)
  
  • Spring 2016
• Perspectives on the syntax of control, LING 419J
  
  • Fall 2016

University of Utah

• Beginning Chinese II, CHIN 1020 (TA)
  
  • Spring 2013