Teaching Philosophy

I believe one of the key contributors to student success in college is the relationships that students develop. There are three primary relationships that are central to student success: collaborative relationships among students, intellectual relationships with the material, and mentoring relationships with the instructor. These relationships complement one another in crucial ways that help students develop as scholars, engaged community members and citizens.

My teaching philosophy centers on facilitating students’ intellectual, social, and civic development through the development of these three central relationships. During my five years of teaching, three as instructor of record, at Denison University, a small liberal arts college, and the Ohio State University, I have found that classroom contexts differ, but the importance of relationships to student success remains a constant. In my courses, I emphasize relationships as a key part of learning and provide students with tools to build these relationships over the course of the term and beyond.

Courses Taught or Designed

  • International Relations (intro and advanced)

  • The Politics of Expertise

  • Global Governance

  • Qualitative Methods, Archival Research, and Interpretive Social Science

  • Interdisciplinary courses bridging IR, ethics, and the sciences