Teaching Philosophy
Civic education is a critical component of a functioning democracy. As political scientists, we enjoy the opportunity to educate the next generation of citizens to think critically about the most pressing issues facing our country and our world. As a scholar and an educator, I work every day toward this goal both in my research and, most importantly, in the classroom. At both Rice University and the University of Texas, I worked with a diverse set of undergraduate students, building their knowledge of politics in the United States, Western Europe, and the Global South through course lectures, classroom discussions, and individual conversations in office hours. There are three key takeaways that I have gleaned from my experience that have shaped my approached to course instruction: educate citizens and scholars, employ diverse teaching strategies, and teach comparatively.
I have a particular passion for teaching US constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism, comparative judicial politics, party politics, and research design. Below, you will find a list of undergraduate classes I had the opportunity to teach at Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin.
Courses: Rice University
American Constitutional Law: Structures and Powers
The focus of the course is one of the most vital aspects of politics: interpreting and applying the nation's fundamental rules. This interpretive activity is critical in regard to the Constitution for the simple reason that the document defines us as a people. Constitutional law is thus best viewed as an extended commentary on the meaning of America. In this class we examine the structures of power in a constitutional democracy, exploring contests over authority from John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson to Donald Trump, the disputed election of 2000, the challenge of terrorism in the 21st century, and the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). Among the topics to be considered: the powers of the federal and state governments, the executive’s emergency powers, and the Supreme Court’s authority to nullify the acts of other branches. Under these general headings are to be found such issues as the power to regulate firearms, recognize foreign governments, overturn a judicial decision through congressional action, deprive citizens of rights during wartime, regulate immigration, and protect voting rights. By the end of the course, students should have an informed judgement on these questions.
One of our objectives is to explore how courts and judges function within the American political process. A recurring question is the role of judicial review in a constitutional democracy, how one justifies the possession of this extraordinary power by an essentially undemocratic institution in a regime committed to accountability in policymaking.
American Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties
This class is concerned with the ways in which the Constitution protects individual rights against the often-competing claims of state, groups, and communities. We will examine rights claims related to property, privacy and personhood, First Amendment protections regarding speech and religion, and equal protection of the laws based on race, gender, age, wealth, etc.
How are we to understand the role of the Supreme Court in the American constitutional order, especially when it acts as a counter-majoritarian institution in defense of individual rights? Should the Supreme Court protect rights not explicitly enumerated by the constitutional text, and, if so, how? What role should tradition, the practice of other constitutional democracies around the world, or judicial precedent play in the S p eme Co explication of these rights? Is it possible to distinguish rights such that the Court would be justified in treating them differently as far as a constitutional defense is concerned? By the end of the course students should have an informed judgment on such questions, which is to say, on the role of the Supreme Court in contemporary American politics.
World Constitutions
This course introduces students to critical topics in global constitutional design. In doing so, we will cover the basics of constitutional theory, drafting, and amendment, political institutions, and constitutional rights and liberties. Throughout the course, these features of the US Constitution will be compared to those in constitutional systems around the world. This course will also place a particular emphasis on domestic and foreign case law to highlight the critical questions surrounding contemporary constitutional design and implementation. In addition to mastering a set of basic facts about constitutional systems, students will learn theories addressing “big questions” in constitutional design. We also explore critical assessments of the evidence brought to bear on these questions.
The goal of this course is to give students the tools with which they can critically analyze the design of the US Constitution and constitutions across the world. Equipped with this knowledge and a broader perspective, students will be prepared to contribute intelligently to ongoing civil conversation about US and global politics. Students will learn how to state arguments about these issues thoughtfully, carefully, and creatively and will learn how each side of these debates are structured.
World Legal Systems
Judicial politics is the study of how political dynamics shape courts and how courts, in turn, shape politics and society. This course is an introduction to the comparative study of judicial politics, designed for students who want to learn more about the role of courts in the modern state and to better understand their growing importance as political actors. We will engage with different theories to compare and contrast how law, politics and judiciaries interact around the world. Participating in this course will help you understand questions such as the following: What is the political logic that gives rise to judicial power? How do different courts make decisions? How do different political contexts (democracy, authoritarianism) shape the way courts make decisions? Why are some judiciaries more independent than others? Can courts bring about social and political change?
The readings will help you develop an understanding of some of the key theories and debates in the field of comparative judicial politics. We will put the theories we engage with in dialogue with events and facts about judicial systems in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to give students the tools with which they can critically analyze the design of global judicial systems.
Applied Research Methods
This course introduces students to basic ideas in social science research design, and the application of these ideas to substantive questions in political science. This course will require students to work in groups to generate an original research question, develop theories to address this question, and design and implement an experiment to test novel hypotheses. I will work with you in helping your group focus on an appropriate political science topic. As you will find, especially from the readings, it is difficult to separate political science from the social sciences writ large. The only thing that will hold you back is a lack of imagination.
By the end of this course students will be able to:
Understand basic approaches to the scientific study of the social world to substantive topics in political science.
Have a basic understanding of how to write and execute a survey.
Execute and interpret statistical analysis of quantitative political data to answer substantive questions in political science.
Recognize and understand threats to inference based on empirical data in political science, including the weaknesses of research designs and statistical analyses.
Courses: University of Texas at Austin
US Constitutional Design in Comparative Perspective: Spring 2021
This course asks students to consider: Does the United States need a new constitution? In seeking to address this question, the course provides a comprehensive overview of the design of the US Constitution, placing it in comparative perspective. The course covers the basics of constitutional theory, drafting, and amendment, political institutions, and constitutional rights and liberties. Throughout the course, these features of the US Constitution are compared to those in constitutional systems around the world. This course also places a particular emphasis on domestic and foreign case law to highlight the critical questions surrounding contemporary constitutional design and implementation. In addition to mastering a set of basic facts about constitutional systems, students learn theories addressing “big questions” in constitutional design. We also explore critical assessments of the evidence brought to bear on these questions.
The goal of this course is to give students the tools with which they can critically analyze the design of the US Constitution. Rather than simply answering the question proposed above, students use the material from this course to make their own assessment about the nature of the US Constitution, bringing modern developments and innovations to bear on the major questions surrounding the US Constitutional system. Equipped with this knowledge and a broader perspective, students will be prepared to contribute intelligently to ongoing civil conversation about US and global politics. Students will learn how to state arguments about these issues thoughtfully, carefully, and creatively and will learn how each side of these debates are structured.
Comparative Legal Systems co-taught with Daniel Brinks: Fall 2020
Judicial politics is the study of how political dynamics shape courts and how courts, in turn, shape politics and society. This course is an introduction to the comparative study of judicial politics, designed for students who want to learn more about the role of courts in the modern state and to better understand their growing importance as political actors. We engage with different theories to compare and contrast how law, politics and judiciaries interact around the world. To help us understand and apply the readings, we role play a constituent assembly and design our own court. Participating in this course helps students understand questions such as the following: What is the political logic that gives rise to judicial power? How do different courts make decisions? How do different political contexts (democracy, authoritarianism) shape the way courts make decisions? Why are some judiciaries more independent than others? Can courts bring about social and political change?
The readings help students develop an understanding of some of the key theories and debates in the field of comparative judicial politics. We put the theories we engage with in dialogue with events and facts about judicial systems in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa. Over the course of the semester we apply what we learn about courts and politics in a collective class project: we re-design the US Supreme Court. The class represents different political factions that are fictionalized versions of those present in our politics today. We prepare for and hold debates to determine the characteristics of our new supreme court, then we appoint justices to that court and submit some cases for decision.
Political Internship: Summer 2020
The Government Department internship program provides students an opportunity to combine work experience in government and politics with academic coursework. This course emphasizes guiding students through the design and execution of a carefully defined small-scale research project, and an analysis of their research that can be communicated intelligibly to a public audience using evidence-based argument. The coursework is designed to sharpen students’ ability to use basic academic research skills as tools in a professional environment, and to convey the results of their research in ways that contribute to public discourse about politics, policy, and government.
Most of students’ time will be directed toward performing the duties of their internships in a manner that reflects positively on them and on The University of Texas at Austin. A solid performance as an intern provides a rich learning experience, the possibility of future intellectual and professional opportunities, and also reflects well on the program, paving the way for future students to have the same opportunities current interns enjoy.
American Government: Spring 2020
This course provides an introduction to American politics. The class examines the American political system as well as the Texas political system, where appropriate, while also placing these systems in comparative perspective. Course topics include an introduction to America’s constitutional foundation, the relationship between the mass public and politics (public opinion and participation), the role of intermediary organizations (interest groups, media, parties), and the function of institutions (Congress, Presidency, Courts). Throughout the course, these topics are explored in comparison to political systems across the world. This course is also taught with a particular emphasis on constitutional arrangements and Supreme Court case law.
In this course, our objective is to understand the fundamentals of government and its role in American society. Additionally, our goal is to understand how the American political system compares to systems in other parts of the world so that we may be better able to analyze and evaluate our system of government. From this understanding, students will be equipped to contribute intelligently to ongoing civil conversation about American and global politics. Students will learn how each side of these debates are structured and how to state arguments about these issues thoughtfully and carefully.
Recorded Lecture
Below you will find a video recording of a lecture I delivered at Villanova University on post-conflict institution building in Northern Ireland