Teaching
In the upcoming academic year 2023-2024, I am teaching the following courses at Bates College. Please use Garnet Gateway to register. If you have any specific questions about course topics, feel free to contact me, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
In addition to exploring my current and future courses, you can use the dropdown menu to explore my teaching philosophy and past teaching experiences.
PLTC 115: Political Institutions and Processes of the United States
Semester: Fall 2023
This introductory description and analysis of United States governmental and political institutions and processes is particularly focused on exploring the conditions and strategies for political decision making. It is organized to introduce students to common questions about and analysis of federal institutions (Presidency, Congress, Judiciary), Constitutional history and the founding, political parties, elections, voting behavior interest groups, and public opinion.
PLTC 218: Statistics for Political Analysis
Semester: Spring 2024
In this course, students learn how political scientists use statistics. They learn basic statistical concepts, make controlled comparisons, use statistical tests and measures of association to make inferences, and conduct linear regressions. The course develops practical skills, including the ability to use the computing program R, create graphs and perform statistical analysis using R. Students also explore the advantages and limitations of statistics as a research methodology as well as questions of research ethics.
PLTC 251: Psychology of Political Behavior
Semester: Spring 2024
In this course, students investigate how people think and feel about politics. They consider the role of underlying psychological processes in shaping the political behavior of both citizens and elites. They dive into the psychological roots of political behavior, focusing on the mechanisms of how people structure their political beliefs and make political decisions, including topics such as emotion, bias, and persuasion. Students also look at the political psychology of groups, and examine reasons why people dislike others, the psychological origins of political conflicts, and the pathways to compromise and cooperation.
PLTC 313: New Technologies and Politics
Semester: Fall 2023
In this course, students consider how new technologies shape the world of politics. Drawing on a broad set of examples from both the developed and developing world, as well as democracies and non-democracies, they study how new technologies have affected citizen participation, social movement mobilization, elections, governance, security, conflict, political development, and social justice. This course provides students with an in-depth survey of the key issues and debates surrounding new technologies and politics. Students are encouraged to explore topics of interest in further detail.
PLTC S11: Playing Politics. Using Reacting to the Past to Learn About Early US Politics
Semester: Short Term 2024
Did you ever say to yourself: “I wonder what it would be like to step into Alexander Hamilton’s shoes during the Constitutional Convention?” This class allows you to do so through “Reacting to the Past” pedagogy. You will learn about the key debates surrounding the Founding of the United States of America and how those debates continue to shape U.S. politics almost 250 years later. Among other things, we will touch upon the questions of separation of constitutional powers, the distribution of influence between small and large states, and the role of wealth, gender, and slave ownership in the negotiations.