Dissertation
Assistant Professor
Department of International Relations
Lehigh University
TEACHING INTERESTS
My courses engage undergraduate and graduate students in the origins, dynamics, and solutions of urgent global problems. I teach and advise students on topics related to international relations, climate change/environmental politics, and security/peace, and my survey courses on these subjects introduce students to key actors, debates, and issues. I also offer specialized seminars that provide students with a rich and nuanced understanding of pressing international challenges, as well as methods courses that equip students with the knowledge and research skills to investigate them. In addition to teaching in a traditional classroom setting, I lead research labs in which students actively participate in politically relevant research projects.
COURSES
Environment and Global Politics
Abstract: How does the global environment shape–and get shaped by–politics? This seminar explores some of the most urgent and complex questions facing the world today at the intersection of environmental change and international relations. We will examine how issues like climate change, resource scarcity, pollution, and biodiversity loss are not only scientific and ecological challenges, but deeply political ones that involve questions of power, justice, and cooperation. Students will investigate the role of states, international organizations, businesses, and social movements in shaping environmental outcomes, while grappling with competing perspectives on responsibility and action. We will think critically about the ethical, political, and strategic dimensions of environmental problems and consider what kinds of futures are possible. No prior background in political science or environmental studies is required.
Introduction to World Politics
Abstract: This course offers an introduction to the central themes, concepts, and debates in world politics. Throughout the course, we will engage with foundational theories of international relations and explore how states and non-state actors pursue their interests through cooperation, conflict, and institutional arrangements. With an emphasis on critical thinking, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how political outcomes emerge from the interactions of diverse actors operating in a complex international system. We will analyze the origins and dynamics of urgent challenges in international relations including the causes of war and peace, the role of international institutions, global economic interdependence, human rights, and environmental issues. Through both historical and contemporary case studies, students will learn to apply analytical frameworks to real-world issues in global politics.
Climate Change and Armed Conflict
Winner of the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of Notre Dame
Abstract: What are the potential security consequences of climate change? In this course, we consider how environmental change reverberates through economic, social, and political systems to cause political violence. We examine how environmental change contributes to domestic political instability through factors such as resource scarcity, resource abundance, and migration. In addition, we consider how climate change fuels interstate contention over issues such as water and the Arctic, and the implications for international security. We balance these discussions with an examination of environmental peacebuilding as a framework for responding to and reducing violent conflicts. Finally, we conclude with a critical consideration of how war affects the natural environment and what this means for security in a warming world.
Research Apprenticeship
Abstract: The Political Science Research Apprenticeship is a teaching-led research course on various topics related to climate change/environmental politics and political violence. Students participate actively in the social science research processes by engaging a faculty-led research project or by developing and implementing their own project (advanced students only). Student researchers come from a range of disciplinary/subfield backgrounds and employ both qualitative and quantitative methods.