Teaching

Courses

American National Government & Politics

The core principle of American democracy, that every person has a say in the laws and leaders that govern them, has shaped the history of the United States from its founding. From ordinary residents to those that occupy the highest offices, individuals constantly interact with governmental institutions built by elected representatives and individual votes. But has the American political system produced a functioning democracy? The question of whether, and to what extent, the United States is democratic is the fundamental question we will tackle in this course. To answer this question, we will examine the connections between political institutions and people and uncover how laws and customs constrain and enable individual behavior and in turn how individuals influence the political system.  

Introduction to Political Analysis

The purpose of this course, required for political science majors, is to build skills for conducting, interpreting, and presenting political science research. These skills include basic research and data collection practices, techniques for measuring political science concepts quantitatively, hypothesis testing, interpretation of statistical evidence, and the presentation of findings in a clear and compelling manner. Tying these components together is a thematic focus on important political science concepts such as democracy, power, or representation. 

Quantitative Methods for the Social Sciences

MAX 201 was developed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members in the Maxwell School and designed to introduce students to the ways that quantitative data is used by social scientists in their research. The objectives of the course are the following:

• Provide students with skills and concepts necessary for 300-level social science courses.

• Expose students to examples of research design and quantitative analysis for the social sciences.

• Help students develop analytical and computing skills, which will be useful in many careers.
  
  

Black Feminist Politics

This seminar critically examines key issues, assumptions, and debates in contemporary, post-civil rights Black Feminist thought, action, and behavior. As such, we will understand that Black Feminism is global and diasporic. We will begin with a survey 1and broad analysis of Black Feminist history and origins. We will pay particular attention to how Black Feminists make use of standpoint theory, Black nationalism, Black liberalism, liberal feminism, Black Marxism, and radical feminist thought. We will also investigate the simultaneity of race, gender, class, and sexual oppression and its relationship to power. This means that we will draw connections between Black Feminist models and contemporary queer and trans politics. In this course, we will also focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality, the history of this analytical frame, and how this framework has contributed to today’s politics. The particular questions we will analyze include but are not limited to the following: How do we evaluate Black movements and leadership using a Black Feminist lens? What is the relationship between racism, gender based oppression, homophobia, and classism in Black women’s lives? What forms of resistance do many Black women engage in? How do these decisions shape politics?