COURSES

Prepared to design and teach courses, onsite or online, in:

• Oral English and writing for speakers of other languages. Specialist in advanced levels.
• English for specific purposes, including the media, the arts, tourism, professional purposes, and academic writing and beyond.
• Cultures of English-speaking nations.
• News writing and reporting.
• Arts and culture journalism.
• International news comparison and analysis.
• The media as portrayed in English-language film and television.
• Communicating about U.S. business and politics.
• English grammar for better professional communication.
• Introduction to media law and ethics.
• Writing English news commentary.

For a full teaching history, click here.

TALKS

10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING. A two-hour workshop for media and other professionals on how to apply professional editing techniques to their own work. CUNY  J+, November 2017.

TRANSLATE YOUR EXPERTISE INTO AN ESP CAREER. Organized and moderated a panel discussion on teaching English for specific purposes at the conference “Meeting Challenges, Exploring Solutions in the Adult ESOL Classroom,” the New School, Oct. 21, 2017. Also available as a solo presentation.

REPORTING AND WRITING IN AMERICAN ENGLISH. A three-part workshop for more than 20 contributors to Voices of New York, focusing on on questions and quotations, story formats and the top 10 trouble spots. Presented at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, April 2017.

ACROSS THE BOARD: COMMON PRONUNCIATION ISSUES. The most frequent ESL pronunciation problems among students from all languages, with simple exercises to help counter them. Presented at the American Language Program’s Winter Conference on Pronunciation Pedagogy, Columbia University, February 2017.

PRINT PRINCIPLES FOR THE DIGITAL AGE AND WHY THEY (SHOULD) MATTER. How core values of journalism – accuracy, balance, fairness – apply to a world of 24-hour news cycles, push-button  publication, citizen journalism,  social media and fake news. In development.

TEACHING INTERNATIONALLY. The basics of finding the right job teaching English – or teaching in English – abroad. A featured talk at the New York State TESOL conference, Syracuse, November 2016. Related article published in Idiom, NYS TESOL’s online quarterly, winter 2017.

STUDENT WRITING: THE TOP 10 TROUBLE SPOTS. A survey of grammar points that plague international students and native speakers alike. Presented at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s summer intensives, 2016 and 2017.

JOURNALISM, WESTERN-STYLE: HOW YOU MAY FIND IT DIFFERENT. A special lecture for graduate students in the School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, October 2015.

THINK LIKE A JOURNALIST: WRITING FOR THE PUBLIC. A series of workshops on producing content for English-language university publications, publicity materials and websites. Presented to administrators and graduate students in the translation program at Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, fall 2015.

INTRODUCTION TO POLISH LANGUAGE AND STUDENTS. A preparatory talk for students in the English language teaching practicum in Wroclaw, Poland. Presented at at the University of Lower Silesia, August 2013, and the New School, July 2014 and 2016.

WATERGATE: A JOURNALIST REMEMBERS. A lecture on the Watergate crisis, how it was covered in the national press and Penn State’s Daily Collegian, and its meaning to the relationship between government and the media. Presented at William Paterson University as preparation for Carl Bernstein’s appearance in the Distinguished Lecturer Series, October 2012.

AMERICAN ENGLISH FOR JOURNALISTS. A workshop for incoming international students introducing American idiom, journalism jargon, style and tone. Presented at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, August 2012.

WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH THE MEDIA. Advice for arts publicists on working effectively with reporters, editors and producers. A guest lecture for “Public Relations for the Visual and Performing Arts,” a course in the arts administration program of New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies; presented numerous times from December 2009 to November 2015.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM: THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE. Welcome speech as co-convenor of “The Sagacious Stephen Sondheim,” a two-day symposium attended by participants from 17 states, Canada and Australia, at William Paterson University, February 2008. Also moderated the critics’ panel.

THE CHANGING MEDIA. How new technology has affected the ways journalists cover the news, the ways consumers get their news, and what is news.  First developed as the American Civilization Lecture for advanced ESL students in the American Language Program, Columbia University, fall 2006; later adapted for ALP classes and media writing classes at William Paterson University.

JOURNALISM 101. A one-session introduction to the basics of newswriting, with an emphasis on gathering and organizing information. In a newsroom simulation, students are given an in-class, deadline  writing assignment  drawn from the facts of a classic breaking news story. Advanced classes include a demonstration of professional editing. First developed for ESL students in the American Language Program, spring 2006; later adapted for media writing classes at William Paterson University and high school students in the News Literacy Project.

TOURS

LINCOLN CENTER AS A BUSINESS.  A two-hour walking tour of the New York cultural complex, with commentary on the business side of the arts in nonprofit institutions. Presented as part of the summer intensive in arts administration, New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies, June 2012, 2013 and 2014.

CULTURAL JOURNALISM IN NEW YORK. A one-week field trip for 10 students from Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, January 2009, including media visits, cultural events and a two-hour class at New York Times headquarters on how The Times covers the arts.

AUXILIARY TOUR GUIDE to groups from Japan visiting New York (1998-2001) and Boston (1999). Assisted their American and Japanese tour organizers with planning, logistics and sightseeing.