For the 2011-2012 academic year, I am an Ohio State Teaching Enhancement Graduate Teaching Fellow. I am also the Graduate Teaching Coordinator in the Department of Political Science. While planning, coordinating, and facilitating the teaching development of graduate instructors in the department, I also teach a graduate teaching seminar and facilitate graduate teaching workshops on topics such as syllabus design, effective lecturing, active learning in the classroom, using technology in the classroom, and grading & assessment.

As a graduate instructor, I am, have, or will be teaching the following undergraduate political science classes.

PS544: The Causes of War
Term: Spring 2012

PS145: Introduction to International Politics
Term: Autumn 2011, Spring 2011

What is international politics? What are the major perspectives or theories that structure how we view the world? Are these theories necessary for us to understand the world? What does it mean to look at the world around us through political lenses? How could scholars view the same phenomena and come to such different conclusions? And why should I care about international politics? Ultimately, how do I know if I am asking the right questions about the world?

These are some of the questions we will be exploring and discussing in this class. I believe that by learning how to critically question the world around us, we will gain a better and deeper understanding of complex global empirical realities and nuances. After all, how can we have the “right” answers unless we are asking the “right” questions about international politics? As such, this class will not only introduce you to the world of international politics, but will also equip you with the analytical tools and informed criticism by which to examine the world around us. We will begin by exploring what is the political and science of international relations. I will discuss different models of argumentation and analytical tools necessary to adjudicate between competing arguments and claims. Then, throughout the course, we will be using these critical perspectives to examine the foundational theories of international politics, the causes of war and peace, and issue-specific debates about contemporary political dilemmas and the future of international politics.

The three main objectives of this class is to challenge what you thought you knew about world politics; to spark greater interest in studying international relations; and to learn how to think critically, analytically, and argumentatively about the world around us. Throughout the class, I will also be teaching and learning with you how to better read critically, write clearly, listen carefully, and speak persuasively. These are objectives and skills that we will not achieve overnight and will challenge all of us in different ways. But I am confident that throughout our time together in this course, we can learn from and encourage each other towards the achievement of these goals.

PS597.1: China and the World: A New Era in International Politics?
Term: Summer 2011

In the past half century, and especially the last two decades, the People’s Republic of China has emerged not just as an economic miracle, but a diplomatic and geopolitical power whose influence extends in almost every international political arena and in every corner of the world. In the media, popular culture, and even among academic and governmental circles, there is no consensus whether China’s emerging strength and influence is “good” for the world or a “threat” to America? But it is unclear whether those are the right questions to ask. Indeed, I argue that to understand China, we must first think about what type of questions to ask, the significance of the questions we ask, and how we can best (begin to) answer these questions. To that end, we will take a targeted survey of issues and themes key to the study of Chinese international politics. Beginning with an exploration of why China is important, we will then examine different ways in which China impacts the world, from its growing economic strength to growing competition with the US. By no means exhaustive, the topics we will cover together provide glimpses into the complexity, breadth, and contentious politics of China’s place in the world. A focus of this class will be to examine how different scholars, policymakers, and otherwise smart people make different arguments and political conclusions despite looking at the same set of evidence and facts. In learning how arguments are constructed, how hypotheses are adjudicated evidentially, and the process of political contestation, we will learn the tools and perspectives that can help us better understand Chinese international politics.

Therefore, I have four main objectives in this class:
(1) to challenge what you thought you knew about Chinese international politics;
(2) to highlight the challenges and dilemmas of China’s increasing influence in the world;
(3) to teach you how to adjudicate between competing arguments of complicated situations;
(4) to improve your ability to think critically, analytically, and argumentatively about
China’s place in the world.This is a course designed to help you (graduate instructors) think and prepare for teaching your own independent graduate course here at Ohio State. As a follow-up to PS795 in the Fall quarter, this class is hands-on, practical, and interactive; it is designed to help you translate pedagogical knowledge into practice. As a fellow graduate student, I am not here to “teach” you how to teach, but to suggest ideas, provide feedback, and facilitate your preparation to teach. I hope that you will bring in your own teaching plans, ideas, and suggestions so that together, we can help each other improve our teaching and the learning of our future potential students.