B.A., English, University of California, Riverside
M.A., Communication, Stanford University
M.A., American Civilization, University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., Comparative Culture, University of California, Irvine
Office: UW1-137
Phone: 425.352.3204
Email: davidgs@u.washington.edu
Website: http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/
Mailing: Box 358530, 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011-8246
Students teach themselves when provided the opportunity and motivation; my goal is to provide both. I seek not so much to change minds as to open them, and to teach lifelong critical and analytical skills rather than a set of facts. I rely on small-group exercises to develop students' abilities in teamwork and problem solving; rarely will they work in isolation. I also emphasize excellence in verbal and written communication.
I try to put students first; to use multiple, complementary pedagogical methods, including technology; to promote cooperation rather than competition in the classroom; to emphasize concepts rather than discrete facts; to remain flexible; to collaborate with colleagues in developing the most effective materials and methods; and to adapt to each student's and each class's particular constellation of skills and interests. I aim for an appreciation for complexity; our world is not simple. I am proud to be on a team of teachers who work hard to create educated, broad-thinking men and women.
BIS 300 Interdisciplinary Inquiry
BIS 347 History of American Documentary Film
BIS 361 Studies in American Literature: The 1930s
BIS 461 Studies in U.S. Intellectual and Cultural History: The 1960s
As an American and ethnic studies scholar, I work mostly with the writings of ethnic American authors in their historical and cultural context. I have published articles on various Asian American and African American writers, and currently am working on three book projects. One is a co-edited collection of essays that explore the ways in which American literary works lead to re-examinations of "race" and "ethnicity" as historical and cultural concepts. The other two focus on the work of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.
"Black Cowboys in the American West: An Historiographical Essay." Ethnic Studies Review 20 (1997): 79-89.
"Race/[Gender]: Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif.'" Women on the Edge: Ethnicity and Gender in Short Stories by American Women. Ed. Corinne H. Dale and J. H. E. Paine. New York: Garland, 1999. 97-110.
"Enemies in Their Own Land: The Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II." Asian American Studies: Identity, Images, Issues Past and Present. Ed. Esther Ghymn. New York: Peter Lang, 2000. 207-16.
"'The Dragon Is a Lantern': Frank Chin's Counter-Hegemonic Donald Duk." 49th Parallel 6 (Autumn 2000). http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/49thparallel/backissues/issue6/DUK.HTM.
"Preacher in the Clearing: Toni Morrison at the Turn of the Millennium." Apocalypse Now: American Literature at the End of the Millennium. Ed. Kate Gale. Palmdale, CA: Red Hen, (2002).
