Teaching & Mentoring

My teaching philosophy, pedagogy, and interests align closely with my research agenda and broader career goals. At Mizzou, I contribute to the Roman Art and Archaeology curriculum at all levels, from large undergraduate classes to cross-leveled capstone courses and graduate seminars. My teaching portfolio demonstrates a very energetic commitment to active student learning. I have adapted hands-on approaches and experiential learning in a variety of settings, alternating frontal classroom lectures with visits to the storage collections of the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology, practical sessions in the Archaeometry Lab, and guest presentations.

In terms of content and structure, my courses are designed to cater to the interests of Art History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Studies, and Ancient History students alike. I pay particular attention to the history of ideas, deconstructing the intellectual debates that have led to the definition of the discipline, and tracing the evolution of archaeological theory from the 18th century to the digital age. Students of different disciplinary backgrounds are exposed to the basic methodologies that allow them to combine textual and visual sources with the archaeological evidence. I select case-studies that would provide students with opportunities to both reflect on the state of the art and tackle controversial problems.

I welcome students who are seeking to develop analytical and communication skills through primary research activities in any of my areas of scholarly interest. In working closely with them, I always expect to learn a great deal from interaction within and outside of the classroom, and particularly appreciate the opportunity to continue to educate myself in terms of both subject matter and best practices for student success.

Roman Archaeology

Broadly speaking, my courses frame the Roman world in the larger context of Mediterranean urbanism, examining the archeological evidence for settlement structure, urbanization and state-formation in different cultures.

My gen-ed course titled the “The World of Pompeii” uses the exceptionally rich physical and textual evidence from Pompeii and its environs to reflect on the drawbacks of the Roman versus modern lifestyles, prompting students to relate the study of ancient societies to contemporary concerns and everyday experience, while engaging with the course content in creative assessments.

I regularly teach the “Roman Art and Archaeology” survey course, which is primarily aimed at second- and third-year students, as well as the “Roman Architecture” and “Roman Sculpture” sequence, which is cross-leveled for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and to which I brought a new methodological focus on materiality. In these classes, I expose students to the Hellenistic and Roman Republican precedents to a much greater detail than in usual surveys, allowing for a discussion of the complex problems of adoption and adaptation of Greek prototypes and models, of the long-term influence of pre-existing traditions rooted in the Iron Age and Archaic cultures of central Italy, as well as the processes of cultural diffusion across the Roman Empire.

My graduate seminars play a central role in keeping the graduate program in Mediterranean archaeology both appropriately streamlined and in touch with current disciplinary needs. Roman archaeology is uniquely suited to draw lessons and parallels from the ancient world on issues that are of relevance today, such as environmental impact, social inequality, ethnic diversity, ancient and modern colonialisms, and I especially value the critical role of archaeologists in preserving and defending cultural heritage from looting, destruction, and nefarious political drama.

Field Methods

An important part of my contribution to teaching is my involvement in the Gabii archaeological field school. Precisely because of the close link between my scholarly research and fieldwork, I have come to place a great emphasis on hands-on approaches, which in my view represent an invaluable teaching aid to bridge the gap between abstract theory and practice.

Each season at Gabii, we offer an undergraduate practicum that imparts both practical skills and contextual training, stressing the full range of techniques that make up the modern archaeologist’s and architectural historian’s toolkit. In addition to onsite instruction, the program allows students to contextualize their work and the site of Gabii itself within larger archaeological and historical frameworks. Both undergraduate and graduate students have access to internships and staff roles commensurate with experience. Involvement in the project opens up opportunities to use archaeological datasets and materials for Honors theses, Master’s theses, PhD dissertations and collaborative publication projects.

By leveraging the personal connections that I have forged across different campus units to serve my research and teaching agenda, I have been instrumental in the establishment of an interdepartmental Minor in Archaeology, a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that brings together faculty from CAR, Anthropology, History, Chemistry, Geography, and the Museums with the goal of preparing students to apply archaeological theory, methods, and techniques (including both archaeometry and spatial analysis) that are central to research in both Old and New World professional contexts, and of encouraging a comparative perspective that can lead to increased academic achievement.

Graduate Advising & Mentoring

I actively encourage and support research projects that reach beyond my comfort zone, and whose design is tailored to meet the student’s personal intellectual curiosity and their professional growth, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary studies. I am also committed to offering equal opportunities for access to the fieldwork programs I direct and strive to foster a collaborative culture based on the ability of all students to work as part of a team and toward a shared research and publication agenda.

As an international student who came to the US with limited knowledge of the local academic system and a young family to support, I was fortunate enough to experience firsthand how crucial a role mentors play: in helping mentees acclimate to graduate school, navigate expectations, and negotiate the unwritten rules of academia (e.g., demystifying program requirements and other administrative tasks such as committee formation); opening doors and establishing connections to build research and career prospects (e.g., providing reference letters; identifying fellowship opportunities); and transferring project management and problem-solving competencies (e.g., assisting with manuscripts- and grant-writing); all the while recognizing the efficacy and importance of work-life balance and emotional support. These are precisely the values that inspire my mentoring.

My main goals as a mentor are the following: to facilitate the progress to graduation, implementing flexible accommodations whenever necessary, but balancing the competing demands, needs, and interests of both parties; and to help students shape diverse career paths. By offering my perspectives for potential success in academia, however, I also acknowledge the challenges and demands that the increasingly precarious nature of the job market is posing for PhDs in the Humanities. Throughout the relationship, I engage mentees in open dialogue to identify both academic and professional outcomes; communications will be based on honest assessment, candor, mutual respect, and ethical behavior. I consider my office (both the physical and the virtual ones) to be a safe space where students can express their concerns, knowing that personal matters that affect performance will be kept confidential (unless otherwise mandated by the University).

Courses Taught

GN_HON 2111H – Honors College Humanities Sequence – The Ancient World (Roman Art)

AMS 2450 – The World of Pompeii

AMS 2950/7950 – Archaeological Methods

AMS 3410 – Roman Art and Archaeology

AMS 4420/7420 – Minor Arts of Antiquity

AMS 4440/7440 – Roman Architecture & Urbanism

AMS 4460/7460 – Roman Sculpture

ARHA 4960/7960 – Special Readings in Roman Architecture

AMS 8010 – History, Texts, and Monuments

AMS 8420 – Seminar in Roman Archaeology

- The Archaeology of Early Roman Expansion (Spring 2016)
- Ancient Italy in the Mediterranean (1000-200 BCE) (Spring 2018)Problems in Pompeian Archaeology (Fall 2019)
- The Archaeology of Roman Religion (Fall 2021)
- Rebalancing Roman Archaeology in Research and Teaching (Spring 2022)
- Recreating Urban Biographies in the Roman World (Spring 2023)

AMS 8440 – Ancient/Medieval Topography

Topography of Rome

Please visit the academic catalog for course descriptions

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