Teaching
Independently Taught Courses
- International Law and Human Rights (Political Science 597.01)
- Ohio State University
- Winter, Spring 2008 & Autumn 2007
- Introduction to International Relations (Political Science 145)
- Ohio State University
- Winter, Spring 2007 & Autumn 2006
Teaching Assistantships
- Regression II (ICPSR)
- University of Michigan Summer Program in Statistics
- Professor Brian Pollins
- Summers 2007 & 2006
- Introduction to International Relations (Political Science 145)
- Ohio State University
- Professor Alexander Thompson
- Spring 2006
International Law and Human Rights
The course examines the relationship between international law and human rights. It is designed to explore the boundaries and fault lines between the political scientist's conception of international law and the legal conception of international politics with a particular focus on human rights conventions, courts, and foreign policies. Topics discussed include the political origins of the laws of war, the legality of international intervention based upon the dueling legal concepts of jus cogens and state sovereignty, and the development of international human rights courts.
Introduction to International Relations
This course is designed to introduce students to the theories and substantive areas of international relations. Even though this is an introductory level course, students are expected to evaluate substantive problems and international events in a theoretical framework. Theory aids in systematic organization of ideas and the exposition of written work. Theories evaluated in this course include political theories of realism and its variants, liberalism, institutionalism, constructivism, and feminist theories of international relations. Attention is also given to economic theories of mercantilism, liberalism, and dependency theory. Students are asked to critically evaluate current events and foreign policy decisions through these theoretical lenses.
Teaching statement
My interests:
International Organization, International Relations Theory, International Law, Research Methods (including Regression, Event History Analysis), International Political Economy
My philosophy:
Students must be willing to take ownership of the learning process in order to gain lasting knowledge. Therefore, a good instructor is little more than an enthusiastic guide. The three pillars of my teaching style are 1) an emphasis on discussion based in the rhetorical tradition, 2) course readings at a challenging level, and 3) a heavy focus on writing as an effective means of communication. While lecture can be an important tool to lay the foundation of a new concept, my goal is to keep lecture to a necessary minimum with the aim of allowing the students to learn through guided discussion.
In substantive courses in political science I believe it is important that tests and examinations not be the primary focus of assessment. Occasionally they are necessary, but through teaching multiple courses, I have found that the most highly motivated students excel at discussion, reading, writing, in ways that students who lack motivation but have good test-taking abilities do not. Furthermore, I have found that these three activities can motivate the less enthusiastic students in ways that tests cannot. I have found that this system tends to benefit two types of students the most: Those that already have a desire to learn and those who are not sure that they do but can be convinced that learning is a worthy activity not as a means to an end, but an end in and of itself.