I have taught a broad range of courses touching on international law, comparative politics, diplomacy, peace and conflict, and human rights. I have designed and taught several unique courses, including my signature course in the International Law and Politics of Armed Conflict where we explore the evolving nature of armed conflict and the legal and political mechanisms intended to mitigate its effects on civilians. I have also designed an innovative course in Global Justice, where we contrast our discussions of the ethical dilemmas surrounding global inequalities with the international institutional mechanisms meant to work towards just solutions. Finally, my January Term traveling seminar on Diplomacy and Human Rights in the Mediterranean offers students the chance to engage with NGOs, diplomats, politicians, activists, journalists and scholars to better understand the intersections of diplomacy, law, and human rights. We do this on site visiting embassies, aid projects, universities, cultural sites and courts in France, Morocco, Spain, and The Netherlands.   The uniting theme of these courses is the synthesis of theory and practice; not merely dwelling on global challenges but exploring and evaluating the mechanisms for addressing them.

I have also had the opportunity to redesign ACM’s Master’s program in International Relations. In order to maintain the academic integrity of the program while acknowledging the career focus of students, I designed a skills-based core program grounding students in negotation, research, and writing skills alongside traditional courses in IR theory and comparative politics. In addition, I initiated a two track capstone project, allowing students to choose between a tradition thesis and a more hands-on internship experience coupled with a policy paper or consultancy project. This has contributed to  300% growth in cohort size from previous years.

I  also organize field study trips to Brussels, Geneva, and Strasbourg, and am currently developing a multi-campus, semester-long student simulation of the EU’s ordinary legislative procedure.

IRL/POL 360: The International Law and Politics of Armed Conflict  

The UN Charter vows to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Yet armed conflict has remained a constant feature of human history, as have efforts to somehow mitigate its horrors. The purpose of this course is to explore how international law, international organizations, states, and NGOs interact in response to armed conflict, and how such responses can contribute to, or undermine, efforts to end violence. Topics include the origins and basic principles of the law of war, the changing nature of warfare in the 21st century, the challenges facing humanitarian aid and the prospects of peace-building and transitional justice. The course concludes with a series of student-run mock trials. SYLLABUS

POL 510: Comparative Politics for International Relations (MA Seminar)

This is an MA-level required core course in comparative politics and the relationship between domestic political issues and global affairs. We study a range of political systems and institutions through case studies drawn primarily from Europe and the MENA region. Students explore how these domestic political institutions, actors, and processes shape international relations and global governance. Rather than treating states as unitary actors, we examine how internal political dynamics influence external behavior and how international pressures reshape domestic politics. Significant class time is dedicated to exploring the state structures and political challenges of specific countries in the region. SYLLABUS

IRL 355: Diplomacy and Human Rights

This 16-day intensive traveling seminar is a hands-on field study course designed to help students explore the economic, political, legal, and moral challenges of international human rights promotion. Lectures and reading form only a small part of this course. Traveling to Spain and Morocco, students visit embassies to speak with diplomats to explore the role of foreign policy; meet refugees to understand the extraordinary challenges of displacement and exile; are briefed by NGOs and witness the projects they put in place to help their communities; and engage with activists, scholars, and journalists to appreciate their perspectives on key issues like migration and rule of law. Then they travel to The Netherlands where they visit the international courts, including the ICC, ICJ, Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Residual Mechanism for International Tribunals. SYLLABUS

IRL 448: Global Justice

What do we owe each other as global citizens? Do concepts of fairness and accountability have any place in international relations? And if so, what formal mechanisms mechanisms exist to try to achieve justice in a “rules based international order?” This course looks at the question of global justice from a theoretical, political and legal perspective, exploring philosophical questions about the nature of justice as well as practical questions about the role of international institutions such as the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the World Bank. Focusing on key issues such as distributive justice, climate change, migration, and security provides students with a clearer sense of progress, problems and possibilities of creating a more humane and just international order. SYLLABUS

IRL/POL 303: International Relations

The study of international relations in today’s world encompasses much more than relations between governments and nation-states. This course looks at a wide range of actors in international affairs, exploring the role of NGOs, courts, multinational corporations and civil society actors in shaping global affairs. Significant attention is given to classic and current debates in international relations theory, moving beyond Realist and Liberal thinkers to better understand how feminist and post-colonial perspectives can enrich our understanding of global politics.  Issues explored include foreign policy, armed conflict, international trade, international law and organizations, development, human rights, and transnational social movements. SYLLABUS

IRL 500: Master’s Thesis Workshop

This course is required for MA in International Relations students in the first term of the MAIR program.  The course is designed to equip students with the tools needed to select a thesis project, address methodological and literature review elements, structure an outline, and deepen the research and writing process. Sessions are skills-driven and process-oriented, with research and writing tasks sequenced to help students advance week by week toward a credible outline with confidence in their ability to structure, research, and write a quality MA thesis.

IRL/BUS 534: Business and Human Rights

Do businesses have duties to promote, or at least to avoid undermining, human rights? Increasingly there is a consensus that companies, from small enterprises to multinational corporations, can and should structure their activities in a way that puts people ahead of profits. This course will explore the intersections of business, law, politics, and ethics to help students appreciate how human rights concerns have become central to modern business practice. Having acquired a theoretical grounding and a practical understanding of the human rights framework and its application to businesses, students will engage with current headline human rights challenges across a range of industries.

POL 307: The European Union

The construction of the European Union represents one of the most important efforts toward peaceful international cooperation in world history. This course offers a comprehensive study of the origins, evolution, and impact of the European Union’s institutions and policies. Students acquire a detailed understanding of the EU’s various institutions and how they interact to promote common policies across the bloc’s 27 member states. They also explore some of its more pressing challenges such as populism, migration, and global insecurity. When possible this course includes a field study trip to Brussels or Strasbourg.