Teaching interests:
Having served as instructor and teaching assistant for a variety of classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, I really enjoy teaching and look forward to continuing to develop my course syllabi. I would be very interested in teaching classes on international organization, broadly defined, as well as on the United Nations more specifically. I also look forward to developing a class on bureaucratic politics that intersects international relations and American politics, taking full advantage of the formal literature that has been developed to understand bureaucracies. In addition, I would like to maintain introductory classes in international relations for undergraduates and field seminars for graduate students as parts of my teaching portfolio.
Teaching experience:
Instructor:
PSC 161: Introduction to International Relations (undergraduate), Summer 2015
Course description:
Why did the United States invade Iraq in 2003? Was it driven by concerns about oil, a desire to democratize Iraq, or by the ideals of senior Bush administration officials? In this course, we will explore the theories that underpin these alternative explanations for the Iraq war and relate them to other important international events, both historical and current. We will cover a diverse set of topics, including international conflict, terrorism, transnational challenges (such as climate change, human trafficking, and the global drug trade), non-state actors in the international system, international institutions, and the role and influence of the United States in international affairs. We will pay particular attention to current international events and crises and discuss how scholars of international relations might seek to explain them.
Syllabus
Teaching Assistant:
PSC 268: International Organization (undergraduate), Prof. Randall Stone
Course description:
The anarchic society of international relations includes elements of order, including norms, international law and international organizations (IOs). Governance does not necessarily imply government. Indeed, most issues of wide concern in international affairs are governed by international treaties and presided over by international organizations. Some of these, such as the IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN, and EU, command substantial resources and reach deep into the domestic politics in their member states. The course will survey the history of international organization, analyze the most important IOs, and investigate the influence of law under anarchy. How effective are these elements of cooperation, and what problems are most difficult to solve at the international level? What leads to change in international governance? Students taking the course for writing credit register for 268W and write a substantial research paper in addition to the other course requirements.
Syllabus
PSC 243: Environmental Politics (undergraduate), Prof. Lawrence Rothenberg
Course description:
An examination of environmental issues from a social scientific perspective. Topics covered include the reasons for environmental regulation, the history of environmental policy, the state of contemporary environmental policy, the role of state and local governments, the impact of environmental activists, and a comparison of domestic and international regulation of environmental affairs. Although there is considerable time devoted to lecture, students are encouraged to participate. Each student will also develop and briefly present a research paper which investigates a relevant issue of interest.
Syllabus
PSC 480: Scope of Political Science (graduate), Prof. Jim Johnson
Course description:
The aim of the seminar is to encourage students to examine political science in a reflective, disciplined, critical way. It is primarily designed for entering Ph.D. students, but may be appropriate for undergraduate seniors considering graduate work in political science. We use basic concepts in the philosophy of science to explore a range of specific examples of research in the discipline with the aim of discerning more clearly what it means to say that social and political inquiry is scientific.
Syllabus 2014, Syllabus 2013
PSC 105: Introduction to American Politics (undergraduate), Prof. Gerald Gamm
Course description:
When did some states turn blue--and others red--in presidential elections? What are the origins of the modern Congress, including the filibuster-prone Senate and a House run by its majority party? Why did politicians begin to campaign for the presidency, rather than waiting on their front porches for voters to appear? How did voting rights--and other rights of citizenship--expand, then narrow, then expand again, over time? Drawing broadly on historical as well as contemporary evidence, this course will introduce students to the foundations of American government. We will examine political institutions as well as the linkages that connect institutions, political leaders, and ordinary citizens. This course is appropriate for majors and non-majors with an interest in understanding how and why the American political system works as it does.
Syllabus
PSC 104: Introduction to Political Philosophy (undergraduate), Prof. Jim Johnson
Course description:
This course is most aptly called Thinking About Politics. It aims to examine a range of contemporary issues and to explore the political and philosophical conflicts and controversies that those issues raise. So, for example, we might examine the concepts of patriotism and explore the tensions that arise between it and such other concepts as democracy or freedom or dissent or security. Readings will be drawn both from contemporary sources and classic political thought.
Syllabus
Having served as instructor and teaching assistant for a variety of classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, I really enjoy teaching and look forward to continuing to develop my course syllabi. I would be very interested in teaching classes on international organization, broadly defined, as well as on the United Nations more specifically. I also look forward to developing a class on bureaucratic politics that intersects international relations and American politics, taking full advantage of the formal literature that has been developed to understand bureaucracies. In addition, I would like to maintain introductory classes in international relations for undergraduates and field seminars for graduate students as parts of my teaching portfolio.
Teaching experience:
Instructor:
PSC 161: Introduction to International Relations (undergraduate), Summer 2015
Course description:
Why did the United States invade Iraq in 2003? Was it driven by concerns about oil, a desire to democratize Iraq, or by the ideals of senior Bush administration officials? In this course, we will explore the theories that underpin these alternative explanations for the Iraq war and relate them to other important international events, both historical and current. We will cover a diverse set of topics, including international conflict, terrorism, transnational challenges (such as climate change, human trafficking, and the global drug trade), non-state actors in the international system, international institutions, and the role and influence of the United States in international affairs. We will pay particular attention to current international events and crises and discuss how scholars of international relations might seek to explain them.
Syllabus
Teaching Assistant:
PSC 268: International Organization (undergraduate), Prof. Randall Stone
Course description:
The anarchic society of international relations includes elements of order, including norms, international law and international organizations (IOs). Governance does not necessarily imply government. Indeed, most issues of wide concern in international affairs are governed by international treaties and presided over by international organizations. Some of these, such as the IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN, and EU, command substantial resources and reach deep into the domestic politics in their member states. The course will survey the history of international organization, analyze the most important IOs, and investigate the influence of law under anarchy. How effective are these elements of cooperation, and what problems are most difficult to solve at the international level? What leads to change in international governance? Students taking the course for writing credit register for 268W and write a substantial research paper in addition to the other course requirements.
Syllabus
PSC 243: Environmental Politics (undergraduate), Prof. Lawrence Rothenberg
Course description:
An examination of environmental issues from a social scientific perspective. Topics covered include the reasons for environmental regulation, the history of environmental policy, the state of contemporary environmental policy, the role of state and local governments, the impact of environmental activists, and a comparison of domestic and international regulation of environmental affairs. Although there is considerable time devoted to lecture, students are encouraged to participate. Each student will also develop and briefly present a research paper which investigates a relevant issue of interest.
Syllabus
PSC 480: Scope of Political Science (graduate), Prof. Jim Johnson
Course description:
The aim of the seminar is to encourage students to examine political science in a reflective, disciplined, critical way. It is primarily designed for entering Ph.D. students, but may be appropriate for undergraduate seniors considering graduate work in political science. We use basic concepts in the philosophy of science to explore a range of specific examples of research in the discipline with the aim of discerning more clearly what it means to say that social and political inquiry is scientific.
Syllabus 2014, Syllabus 2013
PSC 105: Introduction to American Politics (undergraduate), Prof. Gerald Gamm
Course description:
When did some states turn blue--and others red--in presidential elections? What are the origins of the modern Congress, including the filibuster-prone Senate and a House run by its majority party? Why did politicians begin to campaign for the presidency, rather than waiting on their front porches for voters to appear? How did voting rights--and other rights of citizenship--expand, then narrow, then expand again, over time? Drawing broadly on historical as well as contemporary evidence, this course will introduce students to the foundations of American government. We will examine political institutions as well as the linkages that connect institutions, political leaders, and ordinary citizens. This course is appropriate for majors and non-majors with an interest in understanding how and why the American political system works as it does.
Syllabus
PSC 104: Introduction to Political Philosophy (undergraduate), Prof. Jim Johnson
Course description:
This course is most aptly called Thinking About Politics. It aims to examine a range of contemporary issues and to explore the political and philosophical conflicts and controversies that those issues raise. So, for example, we might examine the concepts of patriotism and explore the tensions that arise between it and such other concepts as democracy or freedom or dissent or security. Readings will be drawn both from contemporary sources and classic political thought.
Syllabus
