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In my teaching I aim to help students gain both substantive knowledge and professional skill sets, include improving written work, conducting research, and working in teams. These teaching goals often reinforce each other and lead to an atmosphere in which students genuinely engage with the material and each other.
I also conduct Teaching as Research to contribute to the improvement of teaching methods and have published on the subject (see the Research section of this website). My teaching was recognized by being named Distinguished Assistant Professor of Honors Education at Utah State University and with Cornell's Center for Teaching Excellence Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Course descriptions for current and previous courses can be found below. Syllabi are available upon request. |
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Courses at Utah State University
HONR 1340: Populism, Movements, and Parties
Recently populist social movements, political candidates, and parties have risen to prominence across the globe. In this course we will explore questions like: What has precipitated the rise of populism? Is there historic precedent for this development? Why do some populists lead social movements while others turn to political parties? Why do some movements use populist rhetoric while others do not? We will analyze these questions drawing on geographical contexts as different as Latin America, Europe, and North America. Topics covered range from the Swedish Pirate Party, and environmental activism, like the recent climate strikes, to xenophobic movements, like the widespread violence against refugees in Germany in 2015. Students will have the opportunity to engage these questions from a variety of perspectives including writing an op-ed and conducting a research project on local mobilization in Utah, like climate justice activism or the Women’s March.
POLS 3210: Western European Government and Politics
Europe is in many ways remarkable. The continent is characterized by high economic output but a mostly low military profile. Within the last 70 years it has developed form a perpetual zone of (potential) conflict into a stable security community, and most of its countries are organized within the most powerful and integrated supranational institution in the world: the European Union. Yet Europe has recently been faced with an economic crisis, an increasingly tense relationship with its Russian neighbor due to the war in Ukraine, and growing disenchantment with the EU in countries as different as Great Britain and Greece. In this course we will make make use of the toolkit of the social sciences to shed light on the development of European countries since World War II. The course will take a comparative approach around themes to illuminate commonalities and differences in political, societal, and economic structures across Europe. We will cover both the broader trends as well as delve into country studies that illustrate these trends, including examples from France, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. Specifically, the class will address governmental structures, party and electoral politics, political participation, and the political economy and welfare states of the European continent. It will also provide an introduction to the European Union as an institution and its consequences for policy-making and political participation in the member states. In the process we will explore questions like: does the variation in government structures across Europe make a differences for the types of policies enacted or for how civil society organizes? How different are the outcomes produced by the different welfare state regimes across the European continent?
POLS 4210: European Union Politics
The European Union is a unique supranational institution binding together 27 member states in a political and economic union. In this class we will make use of the toolkit of the social sciences to shed light on the development of this union. Specifically, the class will address the institutions of the European Union, its policy- making process, as well as political conflict in and about the European Union. In the process we will explore and discuss questions like: does the European Union have a common foreign policy and does it constitute a "normative power?" What is the Common Agricultural Policy and are the resources dedicated to it well invested? How can citizens impact decision-making in the EU and is there a "democratic deficit" in the union? We will engage these questions through, among other things, simulations of EU decision-making and writing a policy memo suggesting institutional reforms of the EU.
POLS 4500: The Politics of Social Movements
Social movements have long influenced political outcomes in fundamental ways, from establishing democratic regimes, e.g. through the French and American revolutions, to inducing their breakdown, for example through fascist movements in Italy and Germany in the first half the 20th century. This influence has not waned as movements as different as the Tea Party and the international climate change movement have recently demonstrated. This class will introduce the study of social movements through concrete examples as well as broader theoretical perspectives. We will explore questions like: When do movements successfully mobilize? Why do movements rely on different tactical repertoires? When are movements successful in changing policy? What role does technology play in social movement activism? And, how do social movements interact with established political actors like governments and political parties? In engaging with these questions the class provides an overview of the theoretical and methodological tools the social sciences use to analyze social movements and students have an opportunity to make use of these tools in designing their own research project.
POLS 5290: Development in Europe
What are the political consequences of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis? How have developments like European integration or the rise of populism changed political competition? How are political parties and social movements adjusting to changing environments in Europe? In this class will address these and other questions by drawing on recent work in political science and related disciplines which highlight contemporary political as well as economic development and developments in Europe. In engaging with these questions the class provides an overview of the theoretical and methodological tools the social sciences use to analyze social, political, and economic developments. The central focus of the class will be your own research projects in which you will be drawing on these toolkits to explore a question related to contemporary developments in Europe
POLS 6220: Comparative Politics Seminar
Currently we are experiencing massive mobilization of social movements across the globe, while the 1990s were low in movement activity. Voters in the United States usually have the choice between candidates from two parties with realistic chances to get elected, while voters in most European countries can regularly chose between five or more parties that will almost certainly be represented in their parliaments. What accounts for these differences?
This class addresses this question and many others by providing an overview of the comparative study of political structures, institutions, and processes across different regions in the world. This seminar will introduce students to conceptual and theoretical tools to critically analyze political processes and outcomes. Drawing on these tools we will explore answers to questions like whether different government structures have an influence on women’s rights and under which circumstances authoritarian regimes transition into democracies. We will start by covering the foundational theoretical approaches of the field, before turning to specific applications of these theories to variety of research fields, ranging from political behavior to the political economy.
Previous Instructor-designed courses:
From Social Movements to Political Parties
Social movements and political parties have long been closely linked. Many movements try to influence political actors and some, like the environmental movement in Western Europe, have spawned their own (Green) parties, while others, like the Tea Party, have chosen to work within existing ones. This raises the question: why do some movements become parties, while others focus on protest or lobbying strategies? This course offers an introduction to the interactions between social movements and political parties. We will discuss issues like the conditions under which movements are able to change government policy and how the inception of movement parties influences party-movement relationships. This course draws on readings from journalistic, think-tank, and academic sources. In critically engaging with these sources students will develop the ability to conduct research and write successfully on issues relevant to the social sciences and beyond.
Transnational Movements, Advocacy, and Contentious Politics
Social movements have long had a transnational dimension. The Labor movement, for instance, was organized within the First International as early as 1864. A more recent example is the massive mobilization around the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In this class we will among other questions explore under what circumstances activists turn to transnational activism and what role technology plays in the transnationalization of activism.
Political Participation and Representation
The idea that citizens select their own government and hold it accountable is at the heart of the democratic ideal. But not everyone engages in that process to the same extent or in the same way. In this course we will explore patterns of participation in modern democracies and how they shape political outcomes. Paying special attention to social movements and political parties in the process, we will look at questions like: Why do citizens join activist groups? Which groups in society get their preferences turned into policies? And how do political institutions, like electoral systems, affect these processes? To illuminate these questions we will draw on examples, including the 2016 presidential elections, and readings, ranging from journalistic accounts to political philosophy and scientific studies.
Introduction to International Politics
This course surveys the major theories and concepts of international politics, and applies them to the discipline’s enduring questions. Topics include: the evolution of state sovereignty; causes of war and peace; inequality and the politics of the global economy; the emergence of non-state actors; changing norms of intervention; and the effects of globalization on the modern state system.
European Politics and Society
Within the last 70 years Europe has developed from a perpetual conflict zone into a stable security community. Despite European integration the continent remains diverse, for example regarding the extent to which states provide social services, are integrated into NATO, and how they organize political participation. We will explore the different political, societal, and economic structures across Europe and how these structures shape recent developments like the refugee crisis and heightened tensions with Russia.
Europe in Crisis
In Europe the economic crisis was followed by political crises. New parties and movements are challenging the established order and Brexit threatens the future of the European Union, the continent’s unique project of supranational integration. We will explore why the crisis has impacted countries in different ways, as well as how democracies develop after major economic shocks more generally by drawing comparisons between the current situation and the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929.
From Social Movements to Political Parties
Social movements and political parties have long been closely linked. Many movements try to influence political actors and some, like the environmental movement in Western Europe, have spawned their own (Green) parties, while others, like the Tea Party, have chosen to work within existing ones. This raises the question: why do some movements become parties, while others focus on protest or lobbying strategies? This course offers an introduction to the interactions between social movements and political parties. We will discuss issues like the conditions under which movements are able to change government policy and how the inception of movement parties influences party-movement relationships. This course draws on readings from journalistic, think-tank, and academic sources. In critically engaging with these sources students will develop the ability to conduct research and write successfully on issues relevant to the social sciences and beyond.
Transnational Movements, Advocacy, and Contentious Politics
Social movements have long had a transnational dimension. The Labor movement, for instance, was organized within the First International as early as 1864. A more recent example is the massive mobilization around the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In this class we will among other questions explore under what circumstances activists turn to transnational activism and what role technology plays in the transnationalization of activism.
Political Participation and Representation
The idea that citizens select their own government and hold it accountable is at the heart of the democratic ideal. But not everyone engages in that process to the same extent or in the same way. In this course we will explore patterns of participation in modern democracies and how they shape political outcomes. Paying special attention to social movements and political parties in the process, we will look at questions like: Why do citizens join activist groups? Which groups in society get their preferences turned into policies? And how do political institutions, like electoral systems, affect these processes? To illuminate these questions we will draw on examples, including the 2016 presidential elections, and readings, ranging from journalistic accounts to political philosophy and scientific studies.
Introduction to International Politics
This course surveys the major theories and concepts of international politics, and applies them to the discipline’s enduring questions. Topics include: the evolution of state sovereignty; causes of war and peace; inequality and the politics of the global economy; the emergence of non-state actors; changing norms of intervention; and the effects of globalization on the modern state system.
European Politics and Society
Within the last 70 years Europe has developed from a perpetual conflict zone into a stable security community. Despite European integration the continent remains diverse, for example regarding the extent to which states provide social services, are integrated into NATO, and how they organize political participation. We will explore the different political, societal, and economic structures across Europe and how these structures shape recent developments like the refugee crisis and heightened tensions with Russia.
Europe in Crisis
In Europe the economic crisis was followed by political crises. New parties and movements are challenging the established order and Brexit threatens the future of the European Union, the continent’s unique project of supranational integration. We will explore why the crisis has impacted countries in different ways, as well as how democracies develop after major economic shocks more generally by drawing comparisons between the current situation and the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929.
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Teaching Experience
Utah State University The Politics of Social Movements, Spring 2021, Spring 2019 Comparative Politics Seminar (Graduate Seminar), Spring 2021 Western European Government and Politics,Spring 2021, Spring 2019 Populism, Movements, and Parties (Honors Course), Fall 2020 European Union Politics (Global Peacebuilding Certificate), Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 Development in Europe, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 Oberlin College Introduction to International Politics, Spring 2018 Transnational Movements, Fall 2017 & Spring 2018 European Politics, Fall 2017 Europe in Crisis (Senior Seminar), Fall 2017 Cornell University As Instructor: From Social Movements to Political Parties, Fall 2016 & Spring 2015 Political Participation and Representation, Spring 2016 Introduction to International Relations: Writing in the Majors, Fall 2012 Writing-intensive section associated with lecture Introduction to International Relations (Peter Katzenstein) As Head Teaching Assistant: Introduction to American Politics with Suzanne Mettler, Fall 2014 Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics with Christopher Anderson, Spring 2012 As Teaching Assistant: Public Opinion and Representation with Peter Enns, Spring 2013 American Foreign Policy with Peter Katzenstein, Fall 2011 University of Bremen As Instructor: Tutorial associated with the lecture Methods of Social Science (Joanna Jasiewicz), Summer 2010 University of Bremen, in German |
Potential Class Offerings
Introduction to Comparative Politics Introduction to International Relations (Transnational) Social Movements Political Participation Comparative Party Systems From Social Movements to Political Parties Democracy and the European Union European Politics and Society Politics of Advanced Industrialized Democracies Theory and Method in Political Science |
