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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 with Cornell's Center for Teaching Excellence Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Course descriptions for for current and previous courses can be found below. Syllabi are available upon request. |
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Fall 2018 Courses
POLS 4210: European Union Politics
The European Union is a unique supranational institution binding together 28 member states in a political and economic union. In this class we will make 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 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.
The European Union is a unique supranational institution binding together 28 member states in a political and economic union. In this class we will make 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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Teaching Experience
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: First-Year Writing Seminar, Fall 2016 & Spring 2015 Political Participation and Representation: First-Year Writing Seminar, 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 |
