Teaching
Philosophy
In my classroom, both what we are learning and how we are learning matters. My first priority is to cultivate a democratic community where students become active participants in the learning process. My courses prioritize improvement, engaging diverse perspectives, and teaching students to think like historians. I have increasingly embraced a “history lab” approach to my lesson plans; while I still lecture occasionally, my class periods are increasingly filled with discussion and hands-on activities. Ultimately, my goal is that any course I teach will be part of a student’s lifelong journey of becoming a deep thinker and responsible citizen.
Writing about Teaching
“With Care and Context,” Hybrid Pedagogy, June 17, 2021. In this article, I reflect on viewing lynching photographs as an undergraduate student and how my thinking about the merits of teaching with such images has evolved over time.
News about My Teaching
In spring 2024, Randolph published an article about my time leading the American Culture Program.
Teaching Awards
In spring 2025, I was awarded the Ruth Borker Fund for Women’s Studies to develop a new course on Queer American History at Randolph College. Check out this post about what I did with the award and the course.
Capstone Advising
When working with senior history majors, I emphasize feedback, mentorship, scaffolded assignments, and encouraging students to take ownership of the process. This approach has yielded strong results. For instance, capstone advisees of mine won Randolph’s “Best Senior Paper Award” in two of my first three years at the college. One former capstone advisee, now teaching high school history, recently shared that she finds herself “implementing bits of Dr. Kenaston into my classroom.”
Major and General Advising
I advise Randolph first-year students and History majors.
Blog Posts About Teaching
Check out my teaching-related blog posts here
Sample Syllabi
“History of Atlantic Capitalism,” Randolph College, Fall 2023.
“Working for the Weekend,” Randolph College, Spring 2023.
“American Women’s History,” Randolph College, Spring 2023.
“African Americans and the Construction of America, Randolph College, Fall 2023. Previous iterations: Fall 2022.
“U.S. History from Colonial to the Present,” Randolph College, Fall 2022.
“American History Since 1865,” University of Virginia, Summer 2021.
Experience
For my previous teaching experience, see my curriculum vitae.
Additional Courses I am Prepared to Teach
Undergraduate
American History since 1865
History of Capitalism
American Empire
Age of Revolutions
Black Freedom Movements
Global History of Sport
Queer American History
Randolph College and the Making of the Modern World
Disability History
Community
American Foodways
Introduction to American Studies
History of American Religion
Introduction to Historical Methods
Introduction to Public History
The Democratic Project
US History Since 1945
Doing Digital History
Sounding America
Biography and History
Twentieth-Century U.S. Freedom Movements
History of Whiteness
God and Money
Religion and Politics in Modern America
Graduate
Historiography of American Religion
US Social and Cultural History
Intro to Digital History
History of the Long Civil Rights Movement
Religion and Mass Media
American Broadcasting
Pedagogy and Power