Curriculum Vitae

TEACHING EXPERIENCE – INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD

Instructor of Record                                                                                            Spring 2021

Anthropology Department, UC San Diego

Course Title: ANSC 118 Language and Culture (4 units)

·        An upper-division Anthropology Course that introduces students to Linguistic Anthropology. Through an examination of linguistic and semiotic theory, this course explored how language, culture, thought, and behavior profoundly influence our experiences in the world.

·        Designed the syllabus and taught over thirty undergraduate students from various fields of study using learner-centered pedagogy in a remote setting.

·        Used Canvas, Zoom, and Google Apps to create an engaging learning environment, which encouraged students to explore the connections between language and culture in their own lives.

·        Provided formative and summative assessments on course assignments.

Instructor of Record                                                                                            Summer 2018 

Sixth College Writing Program, UC San Diego

Course Title: CAT124A Patrolling the Past to Explore the (de)Colonial Gaze (4 units)

·        An in-person upper-division practicum course where students created subject analysis for the online PNG Patrol Reports while exploring concepts of colonialism and Indigenous representation in the Pacific. In this course, we integrated anthropological theory and Pacific Studies with archival research skills to consider how knowledge is created, shared, and maintained.

·        Course co-designed and co-taught with UCSD Librarian and Archivist, Cristela Garcia-Spitz.

·        Graded multi-media assignments using Canvas and WordPress.

·        Course website https://knit.ucsd.edu/patrollingthepast/

TEACHING EXPERIENCE – PEDAGOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

Graduate Teaching Consultant                                                    June 2022 – September 2023

Teaching and Learning Commons, UC San Diego

·        Designed and led workshops that aid in pedagogical development for instructional assistants and instructors to create a more equitable and learner-centered teaching environment at UC San Diego.

o   Example of workshops facilitated:  Teaching for Equity, Preparing to Teach Tough Topics in DEI courses, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the College Classroom, and Facilitating Engaging Discussions.

·        Conducted teaching observations and consultations with instructors to help with course development and improving teaching practice.  

·        Mapping, planning, and developing a curriculum redesign for the campus-wide graduate pedagogy programming.  

Head Teaching Assistant                                                                 Fall 2022 – Winter 2023

Anthropology Department, UC San Diego

·        Designed and led workshops to aid in pedagogical development for the Anthropology department teaching assistants.

·        Held office hours and one-on-one consultations to support department teaching assistants.

·        Assisted the Department of Anthropology in planning events and workshops for graduate students.

Discussion Leader Supervisor                                                                                 Fall 2017

First Year and Transfer Year Experience, UC San Diego

·        Trained and mentored Undergraduate Student Discussion Leaders (DLs) as they planned lessons and led their own discussion sections.

·        Conducted observations and evaluations of DL teaching to help improve their pedagogy.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE – TEACHING ASSISTANT

Teaching Assistant                                                                           Winter 2020 – Spring 2022

Anthropology Department, UC San Diego

TA for Courses: ANSC 122 Language in Society, ANTH 103 Sociocultural Anthropology, ANTH 23 Debating Multiculturalism, ANSC 125 Gender, Sexuality and Society, ANSC 162 Language, Identity and Community, and ANBI 121 Polynesian Navigation.

·        Taught discussion sections to 18-30 students that focused on active-learning and connecting key concepts to course requirements.

·        Held office hours to explain course concepts. Graded papers, exams, and discussion boards.

·        Facilitated remote learning through Canvas and Zoom. Led small group discussions and breakout rooms.

Teaching Assistant                                                                          Winter 2015 – Spring 2018

Sixth College Writing Program, UC San Diego

TA for Courses: CAT 1, CAT 2, CAT 3, CAT 125, CAT 125R

·        Taught bi-weekly in-person discussion sections to 30 students that integrate course material while teaching students how to write college-level papers.

·        Taught students how to outline, research, and write academic papers. Provided formative and summative feedback on drafts and final assignments.

·        Held office hours; planned weekly lessons.

·        Taught the fully remote course CAT 125R Public Rhetoric and Practicing Communication Online using Zoom, Canvas, and Piazza.

·        Topics for CAT 1, 2, and 3 changed each quarter but included topics such as Human Origins and State Formation, Translation Theory and Practice, Society of the Spectacle, We Are Aliens, and Imaging Alternate Worlds and Futures.  

Teaching Assistant                                                                                      Spring – Summer 2016

Anthropology Department, UC San Diego

TA for courses: ANSC 124 Gender, Sexuality and Society, ANTH 21 Race and Racism.

·        Taught weekly discussion sections, held office hours, and graded papers and tests.

Teaching Assistant                                                                                               Spring 2016

Education Department, UC San Diego

TA for Course: EDS 126 The Sociology of Education

·        Taught weekly discussion sections, held office hours, and graded papers and tests.

Teaching Assistant                                                                                                  Fall 2014

Communication Department, UC San Diego              

TA for Course: COMM 10 Introduction to Communication.

·        Taught weekly discussion sections to 60 students.

·        Planned lessons; held office hours; graded papers.

Instructional Aide for the Special Education Department             2010 – 2014

Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach, CA                   

·        Worked with children ages 2-7 who have autism and other special needs.

·        Assisted with behavior management and facilitated classroom activities and lessons.

Teaching Assistant                                                                                            2005 – 2007

School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University, La Mirada, CA

·        Facilitated creative learning modules; tutored students in paper research and writing; graded papers

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Hicks, Rachel Emerine, and Ninna Villavicencio Miranda. 2024. Voicing Contradictions: Photo-elicitation as an Ethnographic Method in Youth-Centered Research. Departures in Critical Qualitative Research 13(2).

Hicks, Rachel Emerine. 2022. Performing Difference, Longing for ‘Home’: Claiming ethnic identities to build national unity among urban Solomon Islands youth. The Australian Journal of Anthropology 33:117-132.

Hicks, Rachel Emerine, Debra McDougall, and David Oakeshott. 2021. The Promise of Education: Schooling Journeys in the Southwest Pacific. Contemporary Pacific 33 (2): 301-336.

Hicks, Rachel Emerine. 2017. From multilingualism to bilingualism: changes in language use, language value, and social mobility among Engdewu speakers in the Solomon Islands. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 38 (10):857-870.

Boerger, Brenda, Ashlid Naess, Anders Vaa, Rachel Emerine, and Angela Hoover. 2012. Sociological factors in Reefs-Santa Cruz language vitality: a 40 year retrospective. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 214:111-152.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Hartung, Felicitas and Rachel Emerine Hicks. Forthcoming. Teaching History with AI: Cultivating Transferable Skills in AI-Enhanced Teaching. Agora 59 (2). ​​​​​​​History Teachers' Association of Victoria.

Hicks, Rachel Emerine. 2024. Book Review of Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, Leadership and Civic Engagement by Aidan Craney. Pacific Affairs 97 (1).

2018 – 2019             Dissertation Fieldwork

“Return Migration and the Formation of Identity and Values Among Youth in the Solomon Islands.” Honiara, Guadalcanal Province and Buala, Isabel Province, Solomon Islands. Conducted qualitative ethnographic research at schools and in surrounding communities using a variety of methodologies including interviews, participant observation, social network analysis, and photo elicitation.

2017                        Pilot Study of Dissertation Project

“Changing Cultural Values and Community Relationships among Secondary School Leavers in the Solomon Islands.” Honiara, Guadalcanal Province. Conducted interviews and participant observation in schools and communities.

2012 – 2014             Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM), Long Beach, CA

Docent: Led museum tours for students and other guests

Researcher: Conducted anthropological and linguistic research for exhibits

2012                        “Student Leaders Serving Our Community” A Program Evaluation for the Ambassador Program at Weaver Elementary School, Los Alamitos, CA.

2011                        PROCOM Rwanda

Research Assistant: Studied leadership and community activism in the Eastern Province of Rwanda; conducted interviews and surveys with government officials and community members.

2010 – 2013             Director of “Khmer Stories Film” Interviewing and recording life stories of the Khmer congregation at Long Beach Friends Church

2010                       US Census Bureau, Long Beach, CA

Enumerator. Conducted census interviews with respondents from various backgrounds, asked questions and recorded information, worked independently with daily accountability to a supervisor, maintained detailed records of hours worked and assignments completed.

2008                        SIL International, Temotu Province, Solomon Islands

Anthropological and Linguistic research for Master’s thesis at CSULB; designed and implemented research on the Engdewu language in the Solomon Islands; research methods included interviews, surveys, observations, linguistic elicitation, and analysis of data.

2007                        Anthropological and linguistic research, Long Beach, CA.

Studied the relationships between 1st and 2nd generation Cambodian Americans and the changes in language use; research methods included interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis of data.

2006                        SIL International, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea

Field research on culture change in a village in Papua New Guinea; research methods included interviews, participant observation, and analysis of data.

2022 – present     Secretary for the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania.

                Take minutes for quarterly meetings, communicate information to board and association members.

2020                        Co-organizer for a conference panel on Education and Empowerment at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania Annual Meeting.

2019 – 2021          Co-editor Special Issue: Schooling Journeys in the Southwestern Pacific. Special issue of the Contemporary Pacific Journal, Volume 33, Number 2, 2021.

2017 – 2019          Organizer for a conference panel on Schooling in the Pacific at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania Annual Meeting.

                Coordinated contributions from participants, organized the panel, and facilitated the discussion after presentations.

2016 – 2020         Mentor for the UCSD Anthropology Mentor-Protégé Program.

Met twice a quarter with undergraduate Anthropology students to discuss their goals and share from my experience.

2015 – 2018             Anthropology Graduate Student Association, UCSD

Chair (1 year), Treasurer (2 years), Faculty/Student Liaison (1 year), and Linguistic Anthropology Student Representative (3 years)

Organized meetings and events, liaison for student and faculty interactions, managed the expenses of the association.

2012 – 2014             Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM), Long Beach, CA

Docent: Led museum tours for students and other guests

Researcher: Conducted anthropological and linguistic research for exhibits

2008 – 2009             Co-editor for “Anthro-Press Newsletter,” CSULB Anthropology Department bi-annual newsletter.

2008 – 2009             Anthropology Graduate Student Association, CSULB

Founding President: Organized meetings and events, led meetings, applied for funding grants.

2022 January         “Beyond Pacific Biculturalities: the fluid and multifaceted cultures of Solomon Islands youth.” Paper presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania, Portland, Oregon.

2021 November        “Structural barriers to education and upward mobility in Solomon Islands: critiquing a colonial legacy.” Paper presentation at the American Anthropological Annual Meetings, Baltimore, Maryland.

2021 October            “Exploring Cultural Values and Building Friendships through Photo Elicitation." Virtual Poster Presentation at the Fulbright Association Virtual 44th Annual Conference.

2021 January            “Teaching English in Solomon Islands: Claiming a Colonial Language.” Presentation & workshop of paper draft for the Linguistic Anthropology Workshop, UCSD.

2020 February          “Exploring the (de)Colonial Gaze through Archival Analysis and Teaching” Paper Presentation co-written with Cristela Garcia-Spitz at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania, Hilo, Hawaii.

2020 February          “The aims, obstacles, and (dis)empowerment of secondary students in Solomon Islands” Paper Presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania, Hilo, Hawaii.

2019 October           “Obstacles to Students’ Educational Success in the Solomon Islands.” Invited Vivinei Tok Stori to staff at the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD), Honiara, Solomon Islands.

2019 October           “English and Pijin in Solomon Islands Education.”  Invited SINU Talk at Solomon Islands National University (SINU), Honiara, Solomon Islands.

2019 February          “Values, Goals, and Realities among Secondary Students in the Solomon Islands.” Paper Presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologist of Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand.

2018 January            “When Schooling Fails: Return Migration and Identity Formation Among Youth in the Solomon Islands.” Paper Presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania, New Orleans, Louisiana.

2017 March              “Youth migration for employment and education in the Pacific Islands: A Solomon Islands case study.”  Paper Presentation at the Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA.

2017 February          “Linguistic and social change through educational and vocational migration in Melanesia.”  Paper Presentation at Sandrizona Conference, Tucson, AZ

2017 February          “Growing Youth and Growing Migration in the Solomon Islands.” Paper Presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania. Kauai, Hawaii.

2016 May                “Changing Social Mobility, Language Values, and Language Use in the Solomon Islands.”  Poster Presentation for the UCSD GSA Drinks & Diss: Travel Grant Showcase, La Jolla, CA

2016 May                “Shifting Languages or Values?: The Incorporation of Solomon Islands Pijin into Domestic Language Use.”  Paper presentation at the Annual AGSA Graduate Student Symposium (UCSD) La Jolla, CA

2016 April.              “Anthropology – What is it good for? How Anthropology can be used to study education.”  Invited guest lecture for EDS 126 Social Organization of Education (UCSD). La Jolla, CA.

2015 November        “Shifting Languages or Shifting Identities?: The Incorporation of Solomon Islands Pijin into Domestic Language Use.”  Paper presentation at the American Anthropological Annual Meetings, Denver, CO

2015 May                 “Education as a Motivating Factor for Language Shift on Santa Cruz.”  Paper presentation at the Annual AGSA Graduate Student Symposium (UCSD), La Jolla, CA

2015 March          “The Emergence of New Social Identities and Their Effect on Language Change”

                     Paper presentation at the American Ethnological Society spring conference, San Diego, CA    

2015 February          “Schools and Beyond: The Effects of Language Policies on Endangered Languages in the Pacific.”  Paper presentation at Sandrizona Conference, Tucson, AZ

2009 November        “Language Accommodation: A Critical Factor of Language Change among Nagu Speakers in the Solomon Islands.”  Paper presentation at the American Anthropological Annual Meetings, Philadelphia, PA

2009 May                Producer, Co-Director, and Assistant Cinematographer for the documentary “Shell of a Guy” premiered at CSULB Anthropology Department Ethnographic Film Showcase

2009 March              “The Endangerment and Shift of the Nagu Language in the Solomon Islands.” Paper and presentation for the Student Research Competition at CSULB; won 2nd place for the division of Social and Behavioral Sciences

2008 December        “The Shift and Endangerment of the Nagu Language in the Solomon Islands” Brown bag presentation at California State University, Long Beach

2008 November        “The Endangerment and Shift of the Nagu Language in the Solomon Islands”

Poster presentation at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meetings, San Francisco, CA

English – native fluency

Melanesian Pidgins (Solomon Islands Pijin and Tok Pisin) – fluent

Spanish – conversational

2016 – present                      Member of the Association of Social Anthropologists of Oceania

2005 – 2010, 2015 – present  Member of American Anthropological Association (AAA)

2021 – present                      Member of Council on the Anthropology of Education (of AAA)

2005 – 2010, 2015 – present  Member of Society for Linguistic Anthropology (of AAA)

2008 – 2010, 2015 – present  Member of Pacific Island Interest Group (of AAA)

2015 – present                      Member of National Student Association of Student Anthropologists (of AAA)

2015 – 2016                     Member of Society for the Anthropology of Religion (of AAA)