About Me

My approach to tutoring is very-much centered around personalization: I'm interested to know what your hobbies are, what kind of music you listen to, and what kinds of television shows and movies you enjoy. I strongly believe that engagement with any topic, even if a student is not keen on it to begin with, can be made interesting by relating it to their interests outside of academia. For example, the relationship between popular culture today and 19th century literature might not be immediately apparent, but so many things--from serialized television to pop music to superheroes and superhero movies--continue to feel the influences of earlier periods and forms (like the novel, poetry, nonfiction, and even literary celebrity of the 19th C). Additionally, I am familiar with numerous approaches to teaching composition and would be able to customize tutoring sessions to fit a wide range of student ability. I hold a PhD in English with a Graduate Certificate in Gender Studies from the University of Southern California. My dissertation was on the topic of slackers in popular film, television, and literature from the 1980s to the present, and traces the contemporary slacker's origins to 19th century literature and literary figures (such as Herman Melville's "Bartleby" and Oscar Wilde). While I was at USC I taught "Writing and Critical Reasoning," an introductory college composition course, for their Writing Program for seven and a half years. The course's themes ranged from "Black Social Movements in the U.S.," "Race, Gender, Sexuality and Popular Culture," and "Exploring Ethnicity Through Film" to "Environmental Ethics," "Contemporary Moral Issues," and "Education and Intellectual Development." I have extensive experience working with non-humanities majors (Business, Communications, Engineering, etc.) as well as non-native English speakers. I also have experience teaching English (grades 9-12) at Immaculate Heart High School, an all girls' Catholic private school, in Los Angeles, CA. During my time there I taught English I (9th Grade), American Literature (10th Grade), and Monster's in Literature (12th Grade).

Education & Certifications

Q&A with Alex

Tutoring Subjects