Teaching

PA 388K/LAS 384L: Crime and Violence in Latin America (Fall 2026, Graduate)
While Latin America only holds 8% of the world’s population, it often accounts for over 35% of its recorded homicides. This course will examine contemporary crime and violence in the region, including causes, consequences, and responses from both governments and citizens. Specific topics include the drivers and dynamics of organized crime, gangs, and criminal governance; the role of the state in providing security and how this is affected by criminal actors; the consequences of crime and violence on the lives of citizens; and how societies, governments, and individuals respond to crime and violence. Students will examine state and non-state responses to crime and violence, analyzing their origins, effectiveness, and political consequences; they will develop skills in analyzing crime and security policy, and in offering well-informed written and oral communications of these analyses. The target audience for this course is master’s and PhD students in Global Policy Studies, National Security, Latin American Studies, Public Policy and Affairs, and other related disciplines.

PA 388K/LAS 384L: Politics of Public Services in Latin America (Fall 2025, Graduate)
This course will cover the politics of public policy, with a focus on public services and their provision, in contemporary Latin America. Public services covered will include policing and security provision, social assistance, and healthcare, among others. The course will focus on the politics of policies themselves — such as how political dynamics, institutions, and political actors – affect policy making and will examine the influence and nature of the public’s reactions and demands. Students will gain an empirical understanding of Latin America’s politics and public policies and can expect to learn about multiple countries in the region — such as Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina — and the similarities and differences between their policy environments. The course will allow students to develop an analytical and practical knowledge of the political aspects involved in policy and public service design, adoption, and implementation. The course will also include virtual visits from experienced policymakers and analysts. The target audience for this course is master’s and PhD students in Global Policy Studies, Latin American Studies, Public Policy and Affairs, and other related disciplines.

POLI 281: Data in Politics (Spring 2021, Undergraduate)
The volume of information we have about the world around us is vast, and continues to grow. Social scientific analytical skills are transforming many sectors—business, journalism, law, public policy, and health care, to name but a few—and are more valued now than ever. The broad learning objective for this course is to help students develop the tools they need to be informed participants and active leaders in data-driven sectors, with an emphasis on politics. Specifically, the learning objectives are: 1) To introduce students to research and quantitative analysis in political science and develop the ability to use data to answer important social scientific questions; 2) To help students become more critical (but not cynical) consumers of quantitative analysis used in political and policy-oriented reporting; 3) To increase students’ comfort and ability to manage data in the R statistical language. Students will leave this class with a deeper understanding of how to think critically about quantitative research and the conclusions drawn from it, the challenges and limitations inherent in quantitative social science research, and the competencies needed to conduct basic analysis on different forms of data. The target audience for this course is undergraduate students with interest in the social sciences, who want to use quantitative approaches to solve important problems and develop marketable analytical skills.

POLI 130: Introduction to Comparative Politics (Spring 2022, Undergraduate)
This course is designed to be a broad overview of Comparative Politics, one of the subfields of Political Science. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss key concepts in political science, including the concept of the state, political systems, and challenges faced by state governments. By the end of the semester, you should be able to understand questions such as: What is a democracy? What are differences between non-democratic regimes? What are different ways to organize governments? How do different political institutions affect governance outcomes? To study these ideas, we’ll use examples from a variety of different countries.