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| Office Location: |
LS131D |
| Office Phone: |
310.434.8781
(email is easier than voicemail) |
| Email: |
brown_nate@smc.edu
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Teaching Philosophy:
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I believe that having high standards and requiring excellence
in all work is the best gift I can give to my student. I maintain
high standards so that my students will be prepared for what real
University level work is like after they transfer.
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I believe that education is a process as well as a product.
I value your final projects, but I also value that you were a good
student along the way. Being on time, not missing class, doing all
work on time, and participating in class discussions are highly desirable
and rewarded behaviors in my classes. If you tend to be late, miss
class unnecessarily, forget to do homework, and are always playing
"catch-up" in your other classes, then my class may not
be for you unless you want a teacher that will try to instill in you
better student skills.
Typical Classroom Policies:
| Com St 11 |
- The Public Speaking class I teach is a Hybrid, which means it is 50%
online, and 50% face to face.
- The students must learn most off the lecture material
through book reading, online lectures, and other online work.
This requires an especially self-motivated students with high
levels of competence with computers and distance education.
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Exams are taken online.
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Students use video cameras and microphones at
home to record speech progress and post to the class website for
discussion.
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Final, graded speeches are delivered in class, face to face.
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The class meets only once a week on campus, so absences are especially problematic.
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| Com St 35 (DE) |
- I teach this class online.
- Students read chapters, study PowerPoint presentations, read
lectures, listen to lectures, and watch video clips.
- For each chapter there are discussion questions to be answered
online in the class forum. There are also written journal assignments
that only I will read and grade.
- There are timed three exams.
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| Com St 21 |
- I teach the difficult concepts from the reading, but also supplement
the book with lectures on material that is not in the book. Without
attendance and good note-taking, exams may be difficult to pass.
- Attendance is required. Unnecessary absences will hurt your
participation grades. Excessive absences result in failing the
class or being dropped from the class.
- I teach this class primarily as a debate class. We discuss and
debate current controversial issues. Students pair up with each
other and debate other students. Research is an important part
of your debate success.
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| Com St 22 |
- This is an Introduction to Competitive Speech and Debate. It
is the class for students on the Speech and Debate Team, and for
those hoping to get onto that Team.
- Much of the work is arranged hours, which means students
work on their own, attend tournaments, train with the team, etc.
- I no longer teach this class. It is now taught by the new
Speech and Debate Team coach, Andrew West.
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Extra Curricular Activities
- I advise the Skeptics Club.
Personal Experience and Education:
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CSUN for B.A.
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USC for M.A.
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Army Reserve
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SMC professor since 2001.
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Previously taught at USC, CSUN, and GCC.
Personal Information:
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Married 19 years with two kids.
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Glendale, California native.
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Hobbies: geocaching, disc golf, Scouting, camping and hiking,
reading science fiction, political debate, paintball.
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