Teaching Experience

Whether it’s a large lecture or a small seminar, I’m passionate about teaching and transforming student’s learning experiences in the classroom. My pedagogical approach is based on Dr. Bianca C. William’s “radical honesty” framework that acknowledges emotions and life outside of the classroom as essential to students learning processes. My teaching practices are also guided by in principles from critical and feminist frameworks. Below are some examples of the courses I’ve taught along with student comments from my course evaluations.

Courses Taught

  • Small seminar taught Spring 2023 at The New School

    “[Frances’] teaching effectiveness was really well done. It was all organized and straight to the point. If there was something confusing, then it would easily be cleared up, which made me more comfortable to speak up/ask questions both in class and in private.”

    “Frances is an amazing instructor! I am so grateful to have been in her class this semester. Her stories about applying to grad school and the many different things she went through before figuring out her career path were always so reassuring, and I will definitely carry them with me in my own process to remind me that everything will be okay. She is extremely understanding and cooperative, accommodating students with any issue they may have and creating an extremely positive environment.”

  • Lecture taught Summer 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024 at The New School

    Introductory course taught both in-person and online asynchronously

    "The reflective essay really helped me understand my progress in class and how much my understanding has changes about the topic."

    "The lectures and content itself were strong and engaging. I learned a lot through them and it inspires me to continue to learn."

  • Large lecture taught Spring 2021 at Hunter College, CUNY

    “She was a wonderful professor and I was so happy to be able to have a woman of color professor, for once. Professor Howell was so passionate about her topic and the way she presented the course material was engaging, effective and considerate of the current state the world is in.”

  • Seminar taught Fall 2021 and Fall 2024 at The New School

    “She is very dedicated to the class and making sure her students are thriving throughout their academic term. She is one of the most understanding, caring, and genuine teachers I have truly ever had the encounter of meeting and working with. She is considerate of her students struggles and outside life challenges and will find anyway to make sure that the student in question can still continue to gather information and be included within group discussion and class as a whole. She is passionate about the work that she does and it shows through her charisma, drive and effort put into her lectures and resources. She is a marvelous teacher!”

  • Seminar taught Fall 2022 at The New School and Medgar Evers College (called Experimental Methods) Fall 2023

    "Each class I attended in person provided a lot of interesting takes on research and the research world. I really enjoyed the material and the different articles we got to read. I really enjoyed the midterm because we got to choose any topic we are passionate about and turn it into a research question and use primary and scholarly sources. It was cool to have it be something we are passionate about or interested in and not chosen for us."

  • Teaching Assistant for large lecture, leading weekly discussion section for 30 students in Spring 2024 at Barnard College

    "I loved her!! she should be a professor i think she was a bit nervous at first but she is a great teacher and very accessible and also was very receptive to students"

    "Frances is very intelligent but also is able to be relatable or at least easier to talk to than most academics so i learned a lot"