Teaching Philosophy

My research is problem driven, methodologically eclectic, and draws bridges between political theory, empirical political science, and the broader humanities. I bring a similar approach to my teaching, drawing on diverse source material, assessments, and classroom techniques to empower students to critically analyze and engage their political worlds. I approach my courses, from syllabus design to specific lesson plans, with student-centered learning objectives that coalesce around three main goals. First, students should be able to interpret, analyze, and compare influential and important works of political theory and core concepts and theories of political science. Second, students should be able to apply these theoretical insights to study and understand concrete political phenomena. Third, students should be able to develop these insights well-reasoned arguments that analyze, explain, and potentially critique politics and articulate them clearly and persuasively in writing and speech. I have broad teaching experience as an instructor of record, teaching courses inside and outside of political theory, with documented success working with a diverse student body.

            I work to achieve these goals at all steps of my pedagogic practice, beginning with course design. I implement principles of “backwards design,” first adapting my broad pedagogic goals to concrete, assessable, and active student learning objectives for the course. I then design my course topics, select course readings and other material, and develop assessments to achieve these objectives. Each class has its own learning objectives that build towards the course outcomes, and I carefully craft assessments that evaluate student progress towards these goals. When designing the topics and arc of the course, I focus around large thematic questions and debates – “What is authority?”; “How have conceptions of utopianism changed over time?”; “How do principles of justice evaluate the effects of climate change?” – in addition to, or instead of, chronological sequence.

            Based on a growing body of pedagogic research, I understand that students learn best when they are actively involved in the classroom. To that end, I integrate active learning techniques in my lessons. At times, this involves class-period long simulations, such as negotiations over a climate change treaty or simulating Rawls’ “Veil of Ignorance.” At other times, these are shorter activities at the beginning of class, such as a short game to simulate the principles of market-based environmental regulation or a small group discussion of a video clip that builds on the assigned readings. I break up lectures to informally poll students, solicit their thoughts, and ask questions using a “think-pair-share” framework. To facilitate these techniques, I frequently take advantage of technological resources, such as Canvas learning management software to solicit discussion questions prior to class, Kahoot game-show quizzes for formative assessments and review quizzes, and Poll-Everywhere anonymous polls to encourage students to ask questions and share thoughts who might otherwise be uncomfortable doing so.

            To evaluate my students’ progress, I use both formative and summative assessments. The former allows students to practice their mastery of the material in low-stakes or ungraded sessions prior to larger summative assessments. I have used Kahoot game-show quizzes, “minute paper” questions that both ask students to answer questions about the class’s material and ask questions of their own, and weekly discussion threads on Canvas. These assessments model question styles that will appear in larger assessments, allowing me, as well as my students, to evaluate their progress on a regular basis. When writing exams and designing paper assignments, I build on these formative assessments so that students are confident and prepared for these larger assignments. To ensure that my expectations are clear, I use transparent assignments that explicitly connect the assignment to course learning objectives, clearly explain the assignment, and make explicit the grading criteria. In my courses, I try to employ a variety of assessment techniques to help students both develop different academic skills and demonstrate their mastery of the course material in different ways.

            I view diversity – of identity, experience, values, and learning styles – as an opportunity to enrich the classroom rather than as a difficulty to overcome. While holding all of my students to high standards of success, I endeavor to provide them with multiple means of representing, expressing, and engaging course content. This includes diversifying my reading assignments to include authors and genres beyond the traditional political theory canon, such as integrating non-Western perspectives, work that bring questions of race, gender, and colonialism to the fore, and works of literature and popular culture to help encourage students to connect in new ways to the course material. To ensure that I provide appropriate support to all of my students and that my classroom is an inclusive space, I begin every semester by soliciting voluntary information from them about their background in the subject, their preferred names and pronouns, learning goals, styles, and challenges. In addition to regular minute-papers, I also give students the option of completing a mid-term self-reflection and feedback survey for bonus points to encourage students to reflect on their own performance in the class as well as evaluate my teaching. I use this feedback to adjust my lessons and am especially keen to ensure that all students are included in class discussions and activities. Finally, I make explicit my commitment to student well-being in all facets of their life in my syllabi and during the first class, while also providing students with student support resources on campus through course canvas pages.

            I have broad teaching interests and experience in political theory and political science more broadly. At Occidental College I teach introductory courses in political theory and American politics, a first-year writing intensive seminar on utopias and dystopias, and an upper level political theory course on climate change and global justice. At UC, Irvine I taught courses on environmental politics and policy in addition to my courses on climate change and utopianism. While a teaching assistant at Northwestern, I taught courses in American politics, US foreign policy, political theory, as well as an interdisciplinary humanities course that integrated economic and literary perspectives on human behavior. I am also prepared to teach general survey courses in the history of political thought and upper level courses on democratic theory, environmental political theory, and 18th and 19th century German political thought. My pedagogic success is well documented. My teaching has been strongly rated at UC, Irvine, with average evaluation scores of at least 6 out of 7 in 13 out of 16 evaluated categories, and averages scores of at least 5.75 out of 7 in the remaining categories. At Northwestern, I received average scores of at least five out of six in every evaluation category. In addition to strong narrative feedback from students, my teaching has been endorsed by several faculty members. I have also received recognition from the Dean of UCI’s School of Social Sciences for my teaching.

            To continually develop my teaching skills and learn new pedagogic techniques, I take advantage of workshops, seminars, and other opportunities. At Northwestern I completed the Political Science Graduate Student Teaching Certificate. I have continued this professional development at UC, Irvine, having completed the Course Design Certification program and participated in workshops on active learning, assessment techniques, diversity in the classroom, and supporting first generation students through the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation. I look to continue developing my skills as an educator into the future.

            In conclusion, my student-centered pedagogic philosophy emphasizes students’ ability to analyze, interpret, and engage the political world through diverse theoretical and disciplinary perspectives. These student learning outcomes orient my teaching from course design to assessment, as well as my efforts to support diverse students to reach high academic standards.