Maria Garcia-Sheets
Academic Background:
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC, Stockton, CA
Doctor of Education, Educational Administration and Leadership, spring 2008.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC, Stockton, CA
Master of Arts, Communication, spring 1999.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS, Davis, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Rhetoric and Communication, spring 1992.
Teaching Interests:
- Pacific Seminar I: Teach undergraduate interdisciplinary general education
seminar introducing students to the question of what makes a good society. Work with
students to develop skills in critical reading and thinking, oral discussion, and writing. - Pacific Seminar II: Teach undergraduate interdisciplinary general education seminar in critical thinking and analysis where the subject of social stratification is explored. The influence of social stratification on events such as war, peace, economic expansion/stagnation, employment, education, government policy and social opportunity is assessed.
- Speech: Teach undergraduate courses designed to improve students’ comfort and skill with public presentations. Work with students to develop skills in areas of information retrieval, evaluation of data, critical thinking, construction of arguments, presentation style, and confidence.
- Diversity in the Workplace: Professional Practice seminars
- Reaching for Equity: general education college level presentations
- Self-Esteem, Goal Setting, and Ethics: high school level workshops
Research Interests:
- Diversity and Equity issues within higher education
- Education policy, K-12 and higher education
- Political rhetoric
- Democracy in higher education
- Critical thinking
- Service learning
- Writing across the disciplines
Selected Publications:
What is Engineering?: paper and presentation made to the American Society for
Engineering Education, Western Conference, March 2008
Mentor Seminar I 2002-2003: University of the Pacific: textbook, Houghton Mifflin,
2003
Mentor Seminar I 2003-2004: University of the Pacific: textbook, Houghton Mifflin,
2002
Truth Behind the Mask: Understanding Domestic Violence: informational booklet, Office of Criminal Justice Planning, CA., 1995