The purpose of this site is to make available some
basic background information for judging what, if any, support I might be able to provide the Department of Political
Science at CSUB. Many years of university-level teaching in this field in Puerto Rico, combined with other life experiences,
equip me with skills, knowledge and insights particularly pertinent to several courses in your PS curriculum.
Although I have spent almost my entire adult years
outside the continental United States, my ties to Bakersfield have remained strong. Over the past 25 years, we have returned
to the city to be with family and friends at least once or twice annually, most often staying the entire summer. I have generally
used these longer stays to work on writing projects (e.g., textbooks) or other academically related work. Once I taught American
Government at BC during the summer. On other occasions I taught in the High Intensity Language Training (HILT) program sponsored
by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.
My wife began her teaching career with Bakersfield
City Schools. Over the past 25 years she taught on a military base in San Juan. Her early retirment and family considerations
prompted me to follow in her footsteps after almost 34 years as a tenured, full professor of political science. We just
returned to Bakersfield in early March to begin the tedious process of "settling in."
However, many years of teaching have yet to squelch
my enthusiasm for the craft. Indeed, my experiences over the past decade or so with multimedia and most recently distance
learning make it even more compelling. During the past five years or so, my entire teaching load was devoted to on-line
courses. I also did much to encourage my faculty colleagues to enhance their teaching and academically-related activities
via the computer. For example, I have conducted workshops on the use of WebCT as a course management platform, both for on-line
teaching and as a complement to the traditional classroom setting.
Finally, despite my rather extensive history of publications, this aspect of my
academic life received very little institutional support. Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a large (42,000 students),
private, multi-campus institution that serves primarily lower-income graduates of the island's public school system. Teaching
is given first priority. Research and writing done by a faculty member is a product of individual effort. I have done all
kinds, from scholarly research and essays to textbooks and teaching materials. For the past decade or so, however, a fascination
with the computer as a teaching tool increasingly moved me in the direction of developing educational materials that
support multimedia (for large groups) and distance learning teaching formats.
I would welcome the opportunity
to serve as a resource for CSUB. My only aim is to share my knowledge and zeal for academic work with students
and other members of the university community. Perhaps your program could be enriched via on-line courses or one conducted
entirely in Spanish. I also enjoy teaching in the General Education Program--particularly a course such as "World Politics"
that is so suitable for "on-line" delivery.
I invite you to visit other pages here to examine my curriculum vitae and links to sites
on the Web that evidence my use of this medium for professional and academic purposes.
