university teaching

Melanie's innovative teaching methods, outstanding student evaluations, and extensive community involvement earned her UCLA’s prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award in 2008 .

Read this profile about her teaching in the UCLA Graduate Quarterly.

UCLA Courses Designed & Taught as Main Instructor

• English 4W: Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2007)
• UCLA in the 1960s (Spring 2005)
• English 4HW: Critical Reading and Writing for Honors students, Topic: How to Win Friends and Influence People: Literature and Persuasion (Winter 2005)
• English 4W: Critical Reading and Writing, Topic: Introduction to Critical Controversies (Fall 2004)
• English 4W: Critical Reading and Writing (Summer 2004)
• English 4W: Critical Reading and Writing, Topic: Literature and Visual Culture (Winter 2004)

• Instructor, "Essential Writing Tools," UCLA Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (Summer 2004-2007)
• Discussion Section Leader (T.A.), English 50: Introduction to Visual Culture (Spring 2004)
• Discussion Section Leader (T.A.), English 85: The American Novel (Fall 2003)
• Instructor, "Ninth Grade Writing Academy," UCLA Early Academic Outreach Program (Spring 2002)
• Writing Tutor, UCLA Academics in the Commons (1998-2001)

Panels and Presentations

• Moderator, "Keys to Success in Grad School: Humanities and Arts Ph.Ds," New Graduate Student Orientation (Sept. 2007)
• Guest Lecturer, "Temperament Theory," Anthropology 186: Modeling and Simulation in the Social Sciences (July 2007)
• Emcee, "Higher Education and the Information Age," Student-Faculty Roundtable Luncheon (May 2007)
• Panelist, "Faculty and T.A. Panel," Freshman State Finals Scholarship Competition and Recruitment Event, UCLA Alumni Association (Apr. 2007)
• Panelist, "Grad School Forum," Undergraduate English Honors Society (Feb. 2007)
• Panelist, "Second Qualifying Exam Workshop," UCLA English Department (Feb. 2007)
• Panelist, "Scholars for the Future," UCLA Alumni Association (Feb. 2007)
• Organizer, "American Literary Studies: The State of the Field," Americanist Research Colloquium, UCLA English Department (Jan. 2007)
• Guest Speaker, "Teaching Film," Graduate Pedagogy Seminar, UCLA English Department (Nov. 2006)
• Panelist, "Keys to Success in Grad School: Humanities and Arts Ph.Ds," New Graduate Student Orientation (Sept. 2006)
• Presenter, "The Author as Professor: Thornton Wilder and American Education," American Literature Association Annual Conference (May 2006)
• Panelist, "Faculty and T.A. Panel," Freshman State Finals Scholarship Competition and Recruitment Event, UCLA Alumni Association (Apr. 2006)
• Presenter, "Our Wilder: Progressive Education and Literary History," UCLA Americanist Research Colloquium (Mar. 2006)
• Panelist, "Second Qualifying Exam Workshop," UCLA English Department (Mar. 2006)
• Guest Speaker, "Student Website Projects," Teaching with Technology Seminar, UCLA English Department (Feb. 2006)
• Panelist, "Grad School Forum," Undergraduate English Honors Society (Jan. 2006)
• Panelist, "Seminar Development Workshop for Teaching Fellows," General Education Cluster Program (Dec. 2005)
• Guest Speaker, "Teaching Visual Culture," Graduate Pedagogy Seminar, UCLA English Department (Nov. 2005)
• Panelist, "Grad School Workshop," Undergraduate English Honors Society (Feb. 2005)
• Organizer, "American Literary Studies: The State of the Field," Americanist Research Colloquium, UCLA English Department (Nov. 2004)
• Panelist, "Graduate School in English," Undergraduate English Association (Nov. 2003)
• Panelist, "Keys to Success," UCLA Leading Edge Conference for College-Bound High School Students, UCLA Alumni Association (Feb. 2003)
• Panelist, "The UCLA Advantage," UCLA College Honors Day (April 2001)
• Panelist, "Getting and Making the Most of an Internship," UCLA Career Center (October 1998)