Everyday Universal Design
On the books for Winter 2027, this course introduces students to the evolving concept of Universal Design, learning how inclusive design benefits everyone by centering marginalized perspectives. Students will analyze the environments they move through every day such as campus buildings, transportation systems, websites, and classrooms, and explore how design decisions enable or exclude. Drawing from disability studies, design justice, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), students will complete fieldwork-based design audits and propose creative but practical interventions that center human variation.
The University as Science Fiction
In Fall 2025, I taught a general education course for the Oakland University Honors College on how speculative fictions can help us imagine new possibilities for higher education. Through short works of science fiction set in universities, we practiced applying creative, imaginative, narrative-driven thinking to present societal issues. We created our own speculative fictions, research essays, future scenarios, interviews, art, and visions for higher ed’s future.
Many thanks to the Center for Science and the Imagination, whose members guided me toward just the right short stories and accompanying response essays. Their work is a treasure trove of resources and processes for building the future we want.