I am a committed and enthusiastic educator with significant experience teaching, mentoring, and supporting diverse groups of students. I am dedicated to learning and employing the best practices of active, inclusive, and innovative pedagogy; to that end, I have participated in ongoing professional development in pedagogical techniques. I'm proud to work at a teaching-focused institution, and I am devoted to making sure all of my students can thrive.
Teaching Awards:
Dean's Teaching Certificate, U.S. Air Force Academy (2021) Best Independent Instructor in Political Science, the George Washington University (2019)
Courses Taught:
Assistant Professor, Northwestern University POLS 240: Introduction to International Relations (scheduled Fall 2023) POLS 390: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution (scheduled Spring 2024) POLS 395: Nationalism & Ethnicity (scheduled Spring 2024)
Assistant Professor, U.S. Air Force Academy MSS 498: Senior Capstone in Military & Strategic Studies (Spring 2022, Spring 2021) MSS 499: Research in Insurgent Strategies (Fall 2021) Soc Sci 311: International Security Studies (Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020) Soc Sci 483: Principles of Negotiation (Fall 2021)
Instructor, George Washington University PSC 2338-20: Nationalism (Summer 2019, Summer 2018)
Teaching Assistant, George Washington University PSC 1001: Introduction to Comparative Politics with Professor Bruce Dickson (Spring 2014) PSC 2338: Nationalism and Nation-Building with Professor Harris Mylonas (Fall 2013)
Pedagogical Training & Certifications:
At the United States Air Force Academy, I have completed the Dean's Teaching Certificate (spring 2021) and the Course Directors' Workshop (summer 2021) offered through the Center for Educational Innovation. I was certified by George Washington University's WID Teaching Certification (2014-2015), to teach content-specific, writing-intensive courses to university undergraduates.
Scholarship on Pedagogy:
In "The Politics and Pedagogy of Nationalism: Authentic Learning on Identity and Conflict," (Journal of Political Science Education, 2020), I describe and provide instructions for implementing two assignments I developed for my Nationalism course. In the “nationalism in the news” assignment, students give an in-class oral presentation on a current news story, interpreting the event through the lens of course themes. In the “national anthems analysis” paper, students analyze the lyrics of the national anthem of their choosing, linking symbols to interpretations of different nationalism types.
In an H-Diplo Roundtable, "Teaching Nationalism in IR," I join several scholars to consider why we should discuss nationalism in the international relations classroom, and to offer several practical ideas for how to do so. In my contribution, I discuss how to use news stories on identity and conflict as "teachable moments," and provide the outlines of two assignments -- a group podcast and an individual op-ed -- to help students apply IR theory to the world around them.
In Strategies for Grad School and Beyond (2022), I join co-authors Sam Gubitz, Jennifer Kavanagh, and Kelly Piazza in our chapter "Pushing the Boundaries of your PhD: Exploring Careers Outside the Ivory Tower." In our chapter, we highlight the diversity of career options open to Political Science PhDs, in particular those outside of tenure track jobs at major research universities and small liberal arts colleges. The chapter describes the advantages, disadvantages, and how to prepare for teaching opportunities at the U.S. military service academies and professional military education institutions; pre-collegiate education positions; policy-focused jobs at think tanks, nonprofits, and in governments; and private sector jobs.
In the Fall 2021 issue of Teaching Tailwinds, the Air Force Academy's pedagogy magazine, faculty were invited to write about teaching innovations forged by the pandemic that we plan to continue in the post-pandemic classroom. My column "Enhancing Relevance and Students' Perceived Value with Virtual Expert Visits" describes one such practice I regularly employ: the "virtual expert visit" -- fireside chats that bring in diverse and expert perspectives on the topics in my course. I explain how these learning-centered visits augment students' experience, and provide practical instructions for other educators interested in adopting this approach.
Guest Lectures:
"Craft of Political Inquiry: Case Studies and Causal Process Tracing." Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Spring 2023) "Hostage Diplomacy and the Brittney Griner Case." Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University (Spring 2023) "The Foreign Policy of Athletics: Spotlight on Brittney Griner." Department of Political Science, Drexel University (Spring 2023) "Dimensions of Violence: Terrorism and Kidnapping." Department of Political Science, IE University (Spring 2023) "Research Methods: Interviews and Experiments." Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University (Spring 2022) "The Principles of Negotiation." El Pomar Foundation, Fellowship Speaker Series (Fall 2021) "Colombia: The Civil War and Peace Process." Department of Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy (Fall 2021) "Large-N, Observational, and Experimental Research methods." Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology (Fall 2022, Fall 2021) "Principles of Negotiation: Hostage Negotiations." Department of Law, U.S. Air Force Academy (Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2020) "Kidnapping and Social Media." Political Science Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Spring 2021) "The Logic of Kidnapping in Civil War," Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver (Spring 2021) "The Logic of Kidnapping in Civil War." Department of Government, Hamilton College (Fall 2020) "Mixed Methods Research Design." Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology (Fall 2020) "Mixed Method Research on Political Violence." Department of Political Science, Northeastern University (Fall 2019) "Comparative Case Study Research: Colombia." Department of Political Science, University of Toronto-Scarborough (Fall 2019) "The FARC, Peace Process, and Politics in Colombia." Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Fall 2019) "Kidnapping as Terrorism," Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology (Spring 2019) "Women and Nationalism," Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Spring 2018) "Civil War and Insurgency," Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology (Spring 2017, Fall 2019, Fall 2020) "Nationalism and Identity Cascades," Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Spring 2016) "Islam and Politics," Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Spring 2015) "The Gender Ironies of Nationalism," Department of Political Science, George Washington University (Fall 2014)
Teaching Cafes:
The Center for Educational Innovation at the U.S. Air Force Academy sponsors bimonthly "teaching cafes": lunchtime brown-bag discussions on challenges and activities for the classroom. Each session is facilitated by two faculty members, and I have been fortunate to participate in leading two sessions:
"Reading Critically in the Discipline" with Dr. Karin Becker, Academic Success Center (January 2021)
"Failure in the Classroom" with Maj Wolfgang Weber, Department of Law (November 2020)