I teach courses in international relations, comparative politics, and conflict and peace studies, with particular emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa and civil war. My courses are discussion-driven and reading-intensive, and make frequent use of simulations, case-based activities, and other experiential learning approaches designed to connect theoretical and empirical material to real-world political dynamics. I want to help student develop confidence as independent analytical thinkers rather than passive recipients of content. I am especially committed to building methodological literacy at the undergraduate level by helping students read critically, evaluate evidence, and recognize how research design shapes what we see and what we miss. 

The Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (UTM Fall 2026)

This course examines the politics of two of the world's most consequential and most frequently misrepresented regions: sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Rather than treating these regions as interchangeable or reducible to a single narrative, the course takes both seriously on their own terms while studying them comparatively through the lens of core political science questions. Topics include state formation and fragility, authoritarianism and regime survival, identity and political mobilization, civil conflict, and political economy. Students engage with qualitative and quantitative scholarship drawn from comparative politics and international relations, with attention throughout to how case selection, framing, and analytical method shape what we see (and what we miss) when studying the Global South.

Civil War and Peacebuilding (UTM Spring 2026)

This upper-division seminar examines why civil wars start, how they are fought, and why some end while others persist or recur. Tracing the full life cycle of intrastate conflict from onset through aftermath, the course draws on both qualitative and quantitative scholarship to help students develop fluency across methodological traditions in conflict studies. With a sustained empirical focus on sub-Saharan Africa, students analyze cases of armed conflict, evaluate competing theoretical explanations, and assess regional and international responses including mediation, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction. The course culminates in an original case study in which students apply course concepts to a civil war of their choosing paired with a weeklong peacekeeping simulation the last week of the course. Writing, close reading, and analytical argumentation are emphasized throughout.

This course introduces students to the core principles, theories, and debates in the field of International Relations (IR). Moving from classical realism and liberalism through constructivism and beyond, the course examines how power operates across borders (through diplomacy, foreign policy, international institutions, trade, and conflict) and how global events shape political, social, and economic dynamics between states and non-state actors alike. Students draw on historical examples and current events throughout the semester to engage enduring questions in IR: Why do wars happen? How do international institutions promote cooperation? What role do human rights, global markets, and non-state actors play in shaping the contemporary world order? 

This course offers an introduction to both comparative politics and international relations, treating domestic and international political life as deeply interconnected rather than separate fields of inquiry. Moving from foundational questions about the state, power, and legitimacy through core topics in comparative politics and international relations, the course culminates in a synthesis unit examining how the two fields inform one another. Students develop analytical vocabulary and critical thinking skills through a combination of readings, simulations, current event engagement, and written assignments. 

This course covered important topics in the study of gender, sexuality, and politics. Issues examined included the election of women and LGBT+ candidates to office, legislative efforts on behalf of women and sexual minorities, women's and gay rights' movements, the politics of intersectional identities, and the political consequences of gender and sexuality dynamics in conflict and post-conflict settings.

This course introduced studies to enduring and contemporary political controversies in international and comparative politics, including vaccines and healthcare, abortion, forms of democracy, climate change, gay rights, freedom of speech, and social media.