Teaching
Currently Offering
POLS 2972Q: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science
American Politics
POLS 3604: Congress in Theory and Practice
An introduction to the political and legislative process of the United States Congress, built around a semester-long simulation in which students play the role of U.S. senators. Students organize the legislature, form parties and caucuses, select their own leaders, draft bills, debate, and vote. The first part of the course covers how Congress works; the remainder is devoted to the simulation.
POLS 3602: The Presidency and Congress
A course about the interaction between the central policymaking institutions in the United States. The focus is on the institutional and conceptual development of the relationship between Congress and the presidency over time: separation and delegation of powers; elections and responsiveness; representation; policymaking over foreign, economic, and domestic issues; and legislative-executive interaction in an era of polarization.
POLS 2998W: The United States Congress, Process, and Policy-Making
A broad survey of the legislative branch: the origins and development of the U.S. Congress, the committee system, the legislative process, the role of political parties, and inter-branch relations. Particular attention goes to change in Congress and to current political and scholarly controversies including budgetary politics, party effects, and campaign finance reform.
Quantitative Methods
POLS 2972Q (2072Q): Quantitative Analysis in Political Science
An introduction to the study of politics through quantitative reasoning and data analysis. The course covers the fundamentals of empirical research, including causal inference, summary statistics, data visualization, and regression, with a particular emphasis on the technical skills required to do real-world analysis. A significant share of the coursework is devoted to programming in R, so that students leave with a data analysis skillset they can carry into other courses and into their careers.
POLS 5605: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science
A graduate introduction to quantitative analysis in political science. The course covers causal inference, descriptive and inferential statistics, data visualization, and regression, with sustained attention to implementing these methods in R. Students leave prepared to conduct original quantitative research and to evaluate the empirical work they encounter in the literature.
DSDA 1995: Data Science and Society using R
An introduction to the foundational concepts of data science and its impact on modern society. Students develop technical skills in data literacy, wrangling, analysis, and visualization while building an understanding of how data science applies to real problems. The course is designed to prepare students for advanced study and for careers where data fluency is expected.
Sample Syllabi
Below are course materials for classes I have taught in the past or hope to teach in the future. This is not an exhaustive list, but it conveys the range of courses I am prepared to offer.