Writing and literature courses in particular are tricky as not all students are the same—their anxieties differ, their strengths are varied, and their struggles, though everyone has them, are not universal. By teaching students how to become critical readers and reflective writers, they learn, in the process, to value writing as a tool to help one think rather than as a final product; this helps to eliminate their fears and teach them to value and improve their strengths. By encouraging them to join the conversation and proving to them that their own perspectives are worth something, they become unafraid enough to tackle their weaknesses and, if not become better writers in front of my eyes, learn how to become better writers and see that it is not only possible, but within their reach. 

During my seven years in the classroom, I’ve noticed that students value prioritization of the writing process over thinking of the writing as a product. Getting students comfortable with incomplete, informal, and unpolished writing provides them the confidence necessary to show up and get the help they need. For example, I had a student tell me once that they did not turn in their paper (or show up to class, I might add) that day because they “didn’t feel it was good enough for me to see it.” Part of my job then is acting as a guide, rather than a judge, to aid in assuaging this fear. Overall, as a teacher I work toward these goals by supporting students as critical readers, reflective writers, and prospective scholars.

Critical Readers: It is perhaps obvious that teachers wish their students to become critical readers, but “critical” and “reader” are hard to define. I’ve been surprised to learn that the most thoughtful contributions don’t always require students to come to class carefully prepared. Surprisingly, I once had a student show up, having not read the material, skim it in class, and then contribute more to the conversation than any of the other students. I’ve come to reckon with the problem of the “best” readers being those who did not read so carefully; in trying to figure out how this is possible, I have reflected often on the reverse: I had one student discuss one of our texts theoretically and lose the class in his lengthy response, but his approach was the most critically thought out of them all that day. It’s really that neither “critical” nor “reader” should exist separately—both of these students, though on opposite sides of the same coin, have great instincts that lead them on the path to becoming a “critical reader,” and most students are one or the other naturally. It becomes my job as their teacher to exemplify the two in conjunction with each other and show them how to make those connections. Class activities like reconstructing arguments that others make (writing a “Claim-Evidence-Reasoning” paragraph, as an example) get students to connect the dots between reading and understanding and being critical thinkers. By being able to piece together what others are saying in their own words, they will be able to engage with the material by bringing their own perspective to their reading. Often, students struggle to follow the structure of an argument as they’re reading it and this can be the largest obstacle to them becoming critical readers—by using class time to practice this process, students will be able to apply these refined skills in their own reading outside of the classroom.

Reflective Writers: I’m a fan of students keeping a journal in class, for a few key reasons. First, it gets them to write often, and imperfectly, which often presents as a barrier to success. Students at first seem to despise the idea of notebook checks, grading their notebooks, or even looking at their “personal” writing, and this feeds into their insecurities about showing up with incomplete, or in their minds “bad,” drafts; they are often, early on, afraid to show the writing to you as it is unpolished. But, as students become more familiar with writing as a process, these anxieties tend to go away—especially when they discover the importance of very early feedback on these “unrefined” ideas that may lead them on a better path early on.

Prospective Scholars: During first-year writing courses students should also be figuring out how to insert themselves into an academic conversation. The earlier they begin this learning process, the better they will be when it becomes most pressing. By practicing assignments like argumentative essays with the idea in mind not to tackle an idea that has “sides” but “perspectives,” they hopefully come to the realization that they are not “choosing a side” but by and large arguing for a perspective that they will come to call their own. And perspective is important outside of the composition classroom as well. Because I have taught a wide variety of literature courses, I have worked with a range of students with varying knowledge-bases and comfort levels in terms of their reading and writing. Not only were they diverse in their knowledge, but also in their backgrounds and identities. One example of how this diversity intertwined was in my Jews in American Film course last year, which was cross-listed as a Judaic studies course, a Film Studies course, and a Literature topics course. This led to incredible discussions about Judaism, identity, and filmmaking as each person was always able to feel as if they had something important to add. As tensions between Israel and Palestine grew, however, navigating these questions and themes in the classroom became difficult. Though conversations in the classroom were respectful and calm, many of the students still worried about how their identities would be seen by others on campus at large: between classes and during office visits, many of them, especially my Jewish students, approached me to say they were thankful that I had cultivated a classroom that felt safe and offered a space for them to articulate, and even further discover and refine, their identities a way that was open and respectful.

Teaching my students to become critical readers and reflective writers who join in on the scholarly conversation is, in the end, my purpose in any classroom, literature, film, or composition alike. Valuing their writing as a tool aiding them in working through problems and ideas is something I try to impart on them in the brief time we work together. By highlighting the importance of their own ideas, proving to them that their experiences and perspective are worth sharing, the hope is that they might be able to take this learning with them beyond writing and begin to think of themselves as valued, heard, and important. There is no greater reward than seeing a student’s work grow from the early weeks of the semester to the final assignment—so ensuring that happens to the best of my ability is the goal that drives my classroom. 

In 2024, I won the William C. Boyce Award for Outstanding Teaching. This award is nominated* by students, and then voted on by a committee. Here is what the department posted about my win, also viewable on Instagram:

Next up, please join the Graduate Studies and Undergraduate Studies Committees in congratulating the 2024 winner of the William C. Boyce Award for Outstanding Teaching: Student Instructor – Joseph Ozias

In both the student nomination letter and Joseph’s support materials, it was clear that Joseph’s teaching style creates a classroom “family” that fosters both deep learning as well as deep understanding of myriad world views. The transparent discussions in class informed and improved the students’ writing and they praised how available Joseph made himself to the students; as they say themselves: “...he is liked by all the students. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Professor O or his class in the slightest!”

Congratulations to Joseph Ozias!

*In both 2021, 2023, and 2025 I was nominated for the award as well.

Here is one of my student's final projects for our first-year writing course. She wrote and performed (both in class and in a studio) this song incorporating themes from "Clevinger's Trial" and the idea of the "Scout" and "Soldier" mindsets. Here is another one of my students' completed Recast assignments, which I just love.  Here is a sample of a student's excellent reading journal kept for a section of my World Literature course. Two of my students have had their work for my class published on the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN), viewable here and here. This year, my students wrote and performed rap verses about various texts we read (particularly about the Haitian revolution) after beginning the class by watching Hamilton. A quick clip of them is below, and I can share them if you would like to see them.