Current Course Offerings

I teach classes on International Relations, IR theory, foreign policy, regionalism, qualitative methods, and Southeast Asia at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

In the 2022/23 academic year, I taught six courses: Introduction to International Relations (POLS285, undergraduate lecture online; Fall 2022 & Spring 2023), Regional Security (POLS381, undergraduate lecture in-person; Fall 2022), International Law and Organizations (POLS682, graduate seminar in-person; Fall 2022), Contemporary Foreign Policy (POLS384, undergraduate lecture in-person; Spring 2023), and ASEAN in a Global Perspective (GETSEA mini course, graduate seminar online; Spring 2023).

In the Fall 2023 semester, I am teaching Introduction to International Relations (POLS285, undergraduate lecture online), Theories of International Relations (POLS680, graduate seminar in-person) and Qualitative Research Methods (POLS645, graduate seminar in-person).

Details of current and future course offerings are (usually) available through the NIU Department of Political Science course webpage here.

Teaching Experience

Below I list my teaching experience at the undergraduate, MA, and PhD level. If you’d like a copy of a course syllabus or further information, please reach out to me!

• ASEAN in a Global Perspective (graduate)
  • This six-week mini course was taught as part of the Graduate Education and Training in Southeast Asian Studies (GETSEA) consortium. With an engaged and interdisciplinary group of MA and PhD students from around the world, we explored major debates and cases of ASEAN governance in historical and contemporary perspectives.
  • The course centered on weekly presentations and lively discussion, supported by a broad research assignment that facilitated interdisciplinary reflections on ASEAN.
  • I have taught this course in: Spring 2023
• Contemporary Foreign Policy (undergraduate)
  • This is a fun undergraduate lecture course – it’s one of my favorites! We explore different theories of foreign policy-making and apply them to a wide set comparative cases. We examine grand strategy, military intervention, and development policies across cases of US, Russian, Chinese, British, German, and European Union foreign policy-making.
  • The course, like all my 300-level courses, is designed to mix weekly lectures with in-class group work and student-led activities each week and allows students to develop a multi-stage research ‘media project’ (essay, photo essay, podcast, or documentary as they choose).
  • I have taught this course in: Spring 2019; Spring 2021; Spring 2023
• International Organization (graduate)
  • This is a narrowly focused graduate seminar intended for students hoping to zero-in on both canonical and novel research on IGOs. We examine major theories and debates related to the origins, form, and function of international and regional organizations, with a particular focus on security issues and organizations in the Global South.
  • Student work is centered on interactive seminars and the production of a major research paper.
  • I have taught this course in: Spring 2018
• International Law and Organizations (graduate)
  • This is a wide-ranging core graduate seminar. It examines major theories and debates related to international institutions (i.e., regimes, law, and organizations). It’s a required course for doctoral students taking the IR candidacy exam and an excellent course for any students interested in topics in IR and CP related to international cooperation and governance.
  • Student work is centered on interactive seminars and the production of a major research paper produced over a series of steps that mirror conference presentations and peer review processes.
  • I have taught this course in: SpringSpring 2020; Fall 2022
• Introduction to International Relations (undergraduate)
  • This is another one of my favorite courses at NIU. Here, we examine major theories and contemporary debates in global politics, from the role of protest and activism, and the challenges of global health and environmental governance, to how best to respond to domestic and international terrorism.
  • I have taught multiple iterations of this ‘Intro to IR’ course at the University of Toronto and NIU as a large undergraduate lecture, small honors seminar, and both synchronously and asynchronously online.
  • I have taught this course in: Summer 2016 (Toronto); Spring 2018; Fall 2019; Spring 2019; Fall 2020; Spring 2021; Summer 2021; Fall 2021; Fall 2022; Spring 2023
• Qualitative Research Methods (graduate)
  • This is one of my favorite graduate seminars, exploring epistemological and methodological debates and practices in political science with a focus both debates around best practices and clear examples of varied methods and methodologies in practice.
  • Student work centers on student-led seminars and producing written work that is a component of an actionable research prospectus for an MA or doctoral project.
  • I have taught this course in: Fall 2017; Fall 2023
• Regional Security (undergraduate)
  • This undergraduate lecture explores theories and debates around “regional transformations” – when, why, and how some groups of states shift from conflictual to cooperative relations (and potentially back again). We examine cases of regionalism in Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, and more.
  • The course is designed to mix weekly lectures with in-class group work and student-led activities each week and allows students to develop a multi-stage research ‘media project’ (essay, photo essay, podcast, or documentary as they choose).
  • I have taught this course in: Fall 2018; Fall 2020; Fall 2022
• Theories of International Relations (graduate)
  • This is NIU’s core graduate seminar in IR theory. Here, we center our attention on both canonical debates and recent developments in IR theory. The course has a substantive focus on questions around international security and interstate governance.
  • Course work is student-led and designed to allow students to pursue research that will inform their specific graduate research projects and help prepare doctoral students for the IR candidacy exam.
  • I have taught this course in: Fall 2019; Fall 2023

Additional Experience

• I supervise multiple independent studies for graduate and undergraduate students each semester. I have led more than 30 since 2017. These tend to center on social IR theory, Southeast Asian politics, international security and governance, and/or aspects of qualitative research methods.
• I provide regular lectures on ASEAN and Southeast Asian politics at NIU and elsewhere. This includes running classes each semester through NIU’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies’ (CSEAS) team-taught course, Southeast Asia: Crossroads of the World, and providing lectures and workshops annually for the US Department of State’s Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP) at NIU or in Jakarta.
• I regularly offer graduate seminars on “Online Teaching” for the Political Science Department’s team-taught Professional Development course.
  
• As a doctoral student at the University of Toronto (2009-2017), I was a teaching assistant or head teaching assistant for 25 courses. These included introductory and advanced courses in IR, comparative politics, and research methods. In 2015 I received the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the Department of Political Science, University of Toronto Mississauga after three previous nominations.

Student Supervision

Since joining NIU in 2017, I have supervised or been committee member for more than 15 MA and PhD students and lead more than 30 independent studies with graduate and undergraduate students. If you are an NIU student (or student from elsewhere) looking for supervision, a committee member, or an independent study let’s chat!

I am primarily interested in projects that relate to international and regional organizations, foreign policy and diplomacy (US and elsewhere), Southeast Asia and ASEAN, and/or inter-state conflict and cooperation broadly speaking. I am especially excited by research that engages social IR theory and qualitative research methods. I am available to superviseAA other topics as well. So, let’s talk! As a Faculty Associate with both the Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the Center for Non-Profit and NGO Studies at NIU, I am always more than happy to work with students outside of Political Science through those centers and beyond.

Letters of Reference

If you are a current or past student of mine looking for letters of reference, I am generally more than happy to provide them. Please email me. Please give me at least three weeks notice prior to a deadline whenever possible.

If you are an undergraduate student, I normally ask that you have achieved at least a “B” in at least one course with me before agreeing to write a letter. To ensure I write as strong a letter as possible, I will ask that you provide me with your CV (or resume), your NIU transcript (unofficial is fine), and any relevant application materials (e.g., your cover letter, statement of interest, proposal, etc.).