Courses Taught
Click here for a summary of my teaching evaluations. All evaluations are available upon request.
Instructor
"Politics of International Law" (PS123A, Summer 2017, Summer 2018): Syllabus
"Mathematical Methods for Political Science" (Graduate, 2017): Syllabus
Teaching Assistant
"World Politics" (PS20, Spring 2016; Professor Robert Trager)
"Politics of International Law" (PS123A, Fall 2018, Winter 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018; Professor Leslie Johns)
"International Organization" (PS123B, Spring 2015; Professor Leslie Johns)
"Foreign Policy Decision-Making" (PS134, Winter 2018; Professor Arthur Stein)
"International Relations Theory" (PS137, Fall 2016; Professor Arthur Stein)
"Politics of International Law" (PS123A, Summer 2017, Summer 2018): Syllabus
"Mathematical Methods for Political Science" (Graduate, 2017): Syllabus
Teaching Assistant
"World Politics" (PS20, Spring 2016; Professor Robert Trager)
"Politics of International Law" (PS123A, Fall 2018, Winter 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018; Professor Leslie Johns)
"International Organization" (PS123B, Spring 2015; Professor Leslie Johns)
"Foreign Policy Decision-Making" (PS134, Winter 2018; Professor Arthur Stein)
"International Relations Theory" (PS137, Fall 2016; Professor Arthur Stein)
Teaching Interests
Working syllabi for courses listed below are available upon request.
Substantive courses
Introduction to International Relations (G/U)
International Law (G/U)
International Organization (G/U)
International Political Economy (G/U)
Human Rights (G/U)
Latin American Politics (G/U)
Methods courses
Probability (G/U)
Advanced Research Design (G/U)
Regression Analysis (G/U)
Formal Theory (U)
Qualitative Research Design (G/U)
Substantive courses
Introduction to International Relations (G/U)
International Law (G/U)
International Organization (G/U)
International Political Economy (G/U)
Human Rights (G/U)
Latin American Politics (G/U)
Methods courses
Probability (G/U)
Advanced Research Design (G/U)
Regression Analysis (G/U)
Formal Theory (U)
Qualitative Research Design (G/U)
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is based on three principles: be accessible, be relevant, and be challenging. These principles guide the way I structure my course, the assignments I create, and the resources I provide to students to help them succeed. For example, I choose not to place lecture slides online until the week before an exam. This is because I want students to attend lecture and pay attention, but also because I recognize that students may want to look back at material before the final, particularly if they were unable to attend class that day. In lieu of providing the slides upfront, to help students focus during lecture, I provide them with an outline of the main ideas for the day. I then supplement these outlines with additional handouts that translate the text of primary documents like court judgments into more manageable pieces of information focused around the text's argument. Whenever possible, I try to provide students with alternative ways of organizing information, especially before exams. By showing students a range of techniques they can use to organize information and learn the material, I hope that at least one method proves useful.
I offer various means of assessment, using a combination of participation, exams, and writing assignments, where possible. In my summer International Law course, for example, I challenged students with a writing assignment in which they were presented a report on possible human rights violations in Brazil and were asked to imagine themselves as human rights attorneys, presenting three potential violations against Brazil, based on treaties Brazil has ratified. It was up to the students to assess whether a particular treaty was relevant (i.e., had it been ratified by Brazil) and to find evidence that might support a violation of an article in that treaty. Additionally, students were asked to suggest a venue where their claims against Brazil could be brought. This assignment was not only challenging in that it required critical thinking skills and synthesis of different ideas from the course, but it was also relevant for students who wanted a taste of what law school might be like.
I offer various means of assessment, using a combination of participation, exams, and writing assignments, where possible. In my summer International Law course, for example, I challenged students with a writing assignment in which they were presented a report on possible human rights violations in Brazil and were asked to imagine themselves as human rights attorneys, presenting three potential violations against Brazil, based on treaties Brazil has ratified. It was up to the students to assess whether a particular treaty was relevant (i.e., had it been ratified by Brazil) and to find evidence that might support a violation of an article in that treaty. Additionally, students were asked to suggest a venue where their claims against Brazil could be brought. This assignment was not only challenging in that it required critical thinking skills and synthesis of different ideas from the course, but it was also relevant for students who wanted a taste of what law school might be like.
