I love teaching and being in the classroom, where I aim to create an inclusive, dynamic, and intellectually demanding learning environment. My teaching spans psychology, sociology, and interdisciplinary social science, and I encourage students to connect psychological and sociological concepts to everyday life, institutions, culture, inequality, health, migration, and intergroup relations. I treat the classroom, campus, city, and digital world as connected learning environments and design activities that help students move from memorizing concepts to observing, questioning, applying, and communicating them.

Courses and institutions

• Michigan State University — Introduction to Sociology; Health and Society; Sex, Gender and Sexuality; People and Environment (instructor/teaching roles across undergraduate courses).
• Özyeğin University — General Psychology
• Antalya Bilim University — Social Psychology; Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Additional teaching portfolio — Migration, culture, health, and intergroup-relations content across guest lectures, courses and workshops.

Key Highlights of My Teaching Approach:

• Learning Beyond the Classroom: I use campuses, neighborhoods, museums, gardens, media, music, and everyday interactions as sites for observation and analysis. Students are encouraged to recognize psychological and sociological processes around them and to connect theoretical concepts with lived experience.

• Innovative and Engaging Assignments: I encourage students to explore course material creatively through projects like podcasts, journals, and unboxing videos. Assignments such as designing Met Gala costumes inspired by inequality make abstract concepts relatable and engaging. Collaborative efforts, such as a student-created playlist on race and ethnicity, showcase how students actively engage with material.
• Inclusivity and Mentorship: I prioritize inclusivity by using pre-class surveys to understand students’ needs and foster a classroom where all voices are valued. I view teaching as a mentorship role, building supportive relationships with students that encourage both academic and personal growth.
• Critical Thinking and Collaboration: Through strategies like role-playing games and peer evaluations, I guide students in questioning assumptions and developing analytical skills. These approaches promote collaboration and accountability, ensuring an inclusive and dynamic learning environment.
• Technology and Ethical Learning Practices: I integrate discussions on tools like generative AI to enhance learning while emphasizing ethical practices. Collaboratively setting guidelines empowers students to take ownership of their education.You can view a sample syllabus of mine that reflects my teaching philosophy in action.