COURSES
Politics of Identity from a Global Perspective: Govt 84.42, Undergraduate, Dartmouth College - Winter and Fall 2024
Instructor. The term “identity politics” has become a mainstay of contemporary political discourse around the world. In both scholarly and public debates, it is understood to be the organizing principle of phenomena as diverse as racism, xenophobia, voting, feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, as well as violent ethnic conflicts. But what do we mean by identity, and what does it mean to identify with a social group? Where do our identities come from and why do they matter for social, political, and economic life? Do we have the freedom to choose our own identities or are they ascribed to us by others? And to what extent do our identities dictate what we can do, think, know, say, or feel? This course is designed to provide students with an overview of major theories and empirical approaches to the study of identity and politics around the world.
Links: Syllabus | Teaching evaluations
Politics of the World: Govt 4, Undergraduate, Dartmouth College - Fall 2023, Winter and Fall 2024
Instructor. This course introduces students to the study of comparative politics, which is defined as the study of domestic politics anywhere in the world. The course explores the role of the state in economic and social affairs. It focuses on the study of four major themes: (1) democracy and authoritarianism, (2) economic development, (3) political development, and (4) identity-driven conflicts. We will explore debates about the role of political institutions, civil society, and the state in shaping these issues. This course also provides an introduction to the comparative method; we will explore how scholars use cross-national and sub-national comparisons to gain insights into political dynamics
Links: Syllabus | Example lecture | Teaching evaluations
Politics of Development and Government Accountability: POLI 328B, Undergraduate, UBC - Fall 2019, 2020
Instructor. What political factors can help explain patterns of development -- in terms of health, education, prosperity, and security -- around the world? While there are no easy answers to this question, this upper-year undergraduate course aims to equip students with the conceptual and analytic tools from a social science approach to study development. The first part of this course considers how development is conceptualized and measured, as well as the influence of historical legacies, geography, natural resources, and the role of the modern state and political institutions in determining development outcomes. The second part of this course explores contemporary development initiatives such as democratic governance, information campaigns, and other channels for citizen participation. Students should be able to understand the political drivers of development, and critically evaluate and propose development initiatives and policies considering these political factors.
Links: Syllabus | Example lecture | Teaching evaluations
Comparative Political Economy of Development: POLI 423E / 516D, Graduate, UBC - Fall 2019, 2020
Instructor. Why do some regions of the Global South seem to do better at “development” than others? This course provides a graduate level introduction to the comparative study of development. The first part of this course begins with a brief overview of how development is conceptualized and measured. We then consider and discuss existing explanations of developmental success and failure such as the influence of historical legacies, the role of the modern state and political institutions, markets and globalization, structural adjustment, and democracy versus authoritarianism. The second part of this course explores contemporary development initiatives such as democratic governance, information campaigns, and other channels for citizen participation.
Links: Syllabus | Teaching evaluations
Quantitative Analysis III: Politics 573 / Sociology 595, Graduate, Princeton - Fall 2015 (Instructor: Kosuke Imai)
Teaching Assistant. Graduate level course in applied statistical methods for social scientists, covers a variety of statistical methods including expectation maximization, variational inference, models for longitudinal data, and survival analysis.
Links: Syllabus | Example lecture
Introduction to Comparative Politics: Politics 230, Undergraduate, Princeton - Spring 2015 (Instructor: Grigore Pop-Eleches)
Teaching Assistant. This undergraduate course surveys institutions of government and explores the role of government in economic and social affairs in developing as well as advanced industrial countries. The overarching theme is the relationship between capitalism, democracy, and economic development. The course also provides an introduction to the comparative method.
Links: Syllabus | Example lecture
College Writing 101 Prison Teaching Initiative: Undergraduate, Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility - Spring 2015
Co-Instructor. This college composition course focuses on reinforcing grammar, constructing original persuasive arguments, and literary analysis. Approximately 95 percent of all inmates in New Jersey prisons will be released. In addition to providing intellectual engagement during incarceration and improving job prospects after release, in-prison education provides a positive social network, support system, and commitment schedule that helps inmates readjust to life outside of prison. The New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) program and the Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) draw volunteer teachers from graduate students, post-docs and faculty of Princeton University to offer college-level instruction in four New Jersey prisons. The courses are accredited by Mercer County Community College, and they count toward an associate’s degree or, if used to transfer to one of the Rutgers University campuses, toward a bachelor’s degree.
Links: Syllabus
INVITED LECTURES
Constructing Groups, Creating Conflicts, Changing Minds.
When we hear “structural inequality” or “structural racism,” what does structural mean? How do certain institutions, such as the census, create racial and ethnic categories and make them feel real? What are the consequences of categorization and reification of identities on political behaviors? This lecture guides undergraduate students through these questions and related discussion.
Presented at Prof. Marcus Johnson's Comparative Politics Class, CUNY Baruch.
Links: Slides
Understanding Contemporary Immigration through Social Science.
What are some common beliefs about immigration? What does social science have to say with respect to immigrants’ effects on employment, wages, social welfare, and crime rates? How can we find out (empirically test) whether these common beliefs are true or not? Why is there a disconnect between public perceptions and scientific findings? This lecture guides undergraduate students through these questions and related discussion.
Presented at Prof. Marcus Johnson's Comparative Politics Class, CUNY Baruch.
Links: Slides
Addressing Incentives to Conceal: Studying Sensitive Questions with Surveys.
When survey researchers study sensitive questions, we may not receive honest answers. Given privacy concerns, social desirability, even fear of physical and legal reprisals, respondents may feel pressured to give deceptive responses or even refuse to answer. This presentation gives an overview of three survey question methods – list experiments, endorsement experiments, and the randomized response technique – aimed at addressing this problem by obscuring the truthful response of individuals and thus offering privacy protection to respondents, which encourages honest responses and lower non-response rates.
Presented at the UNFPA Expert Group Meeting on Population Data for the 21st Century; the Applied Methods Workshop, Political Science Department, Stanford University; and Prof. Hannah Alarian's Quantitative Methods Class, University of Florida.
Links: Slides | Project website