While I taught academic theology in the UK at St. Andrews and at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, most of my professional teaching experience has been in undergraduate Honors courses within the California State University, in core interdisciplinary courses at Loyola Marymount University, and now in UCLA’s Sociology department. I aim to develop all my courses in interdisciplinary fashion so as to raise the level of inquiry to focus on big questions where through readings, writing, lectures, and socratic classroom conversations I challenge students to develop their own conclusions, helping them assemble intellectual and practical tools for cultivating their minds and hearts in order to most meaningfully see the world from their unique perspectives. This in turn enables them to effectively engage the world with their particular contributions, both as university students and as they prepare for their lives beyond.

Jason S. Sexton, Mechanics' Institute, 2017

One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching I have found is when students communicate at the end of class, or sometimes one or two years later, what my courses meant to them, especially highlighting the kind of transformation educators hope and dream takes place in the classroom, where minds and views develop, often changing, showing that students are moving toward meaningful action. I've been privileged to teach amazing students who have helped reaffirm my commitment to teaching our next generation. Here are some samples of what they say:

“Looking back at my time at CSUF, your classes were definitely the most memorable. I have never been in another class that encouraged such a respectful discussion between all the students and the professor. The unique topics that were introduced not only opened my mind to issues I was completely unaware of, but they also influenced me to be a more thoughtful person.”

"This class really changed the way I view the world in a lot of different really important ways. I've already taken classes that taught me about the history of America as it's always told, so it was really refreshing to have one that took a different angle. More than teaching me about history, I think this class taught me about humanity and what it means to be a good human in a way that I've never thought about before."

"I really enjoyed this class. You really opened my mind and my heart on American punishment, always encouraging us to think about the big problem. I also liked how you required notes for discussion and we could discuss the things we are interested in rather than taking tedious quizzes. Thank you for being a great professor. You really made an impact on me and how I view life. Hopefully, we will see each other again and the world will be a slightly better place."

"You were an amazing professor who encouraged students to think outside the box from different viewpoints. The course material was challenging, but well-designed."

"You did very well in challenging me to think outside of the box and to really question our institutions and values. You would always encourage classroom participation and give us interesting reading that presented new and well thought-out ideas. Overall, I would highly recommend you and your courses to anyone looking to engage and learn in politics, prison, and our institutional values."