Teaching Approach

Undergraduate teaching. Politics follows my students everywhere, from their feeds and group chats to their dinner tables. My job is to teach them to sort through it like a political scientist, which means asking a question, finding the evidence and deciding for themselves. I look for creative ways to take students beyond the readings, so they build the skills to analyze politics through different lenses, as a legislator, a campaign strategist, a policy advocate or a tribal leader would. They have run a mock Congress for a whole semester, designed campaigns, produced policy podcasts, pitched reforms to a room of skeptical classmates and designed research projects that respect tribal data sovereignty. I want my students to walk away with skills that will serve them in whatever job they go into, such as writing clearly, speaking persuasively and arguing hard without making it personal.

Graduate teaching. In my seminars, the whiteboard fills up fast. Each week we map the big debates in a literature, take individual studies apart to see how they were built, then put them back on the map to see what they settled and what they missed. We have to break research down to fully understand how it is put together and to make our own work better. Students write an original paper in stages, because a big part of research is rewriting. I also pass along advice I was given early in my career: a reputation for tough, careful critique will open doors, and a reputation for being a jerk will close them. I want my students to leave as scholars who can critique sharply and collaborate generously.

Graduate Courses

Instructors are welcome to borrow and adapt any syllabus on this page.

Research Methods

PS 2020 · Syllabus · Fall 2023

Advanced training in research design for M.A. and Ph.D. students. The course works through the full scientific process, from research questions, theory and hypotheses to study design, measurement and interpretation, along with professional norms and research ethics.

Semesters taught: Fall 2023 (Pittsburgh)

American Politics Seminar

Independent study · PS 2200 · Syllabus · Fall 2026

A survey of the core literatures in American politics that prepares students for the comprehensive exam. Topics include public opinion, parties, participation and elections, federalism, Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, the courts, race and ethnicity, social movements and gender, and students map each literature and keep their reading lists current.

Semesters taught: Fall 2026 (Arizona, independent study); Fall 2021 (Pittsburgh)

Gender and Politics Seminar

PS 2204 · Syllabus · Spring 2020

Core works and current research on women in politics, from both behavioral and institutional approaches. The seminar covers public opinion, voting, electoral outcomes, institutions and public policy, with close attention to the methods used to study them.

Semesters taught: Spring 2020 (Pittsburgh)

Undergraduate Courses

Introduction to American Politics

POL 201 · PS 0200 · Online syllabus · Fall 2026 · In-person syllabus · Fall 2022

How American democracy works, studied the way political scientists study it. The course covers the Constitution and national institutions, political behavior and public opinion, the struggle for civil rights, and how institutions shape domestic, economic and foreign policy.

Sample assignments: Elections essay · Policy brief

Semesters taught: Online: Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024 (Arizona) · In person: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019 (Pittsburgh)

State Politics

POL 327 · PS 1252 · Syllabus · Fall 2026

Why politics and policy differ so much across the fifty states. The course covers the states’ place in the federal system, state institutions, parties, interest groups, participation and representation, and policy areas such as economic development, the environment, health care, education and criminal justice.

Sample assignments: State institutions case study · State policy brief

Semesters taught: Fall 2026, Spring 2025 (Arizona); Fall 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2019 (Pittsburgh)

Legislative Politics

PS 1211/1293 · Syllabus · Fall 2022

An in-depth look at how the U.S. Congress is organized and how it works. Students study who runs and wins, how members represent constituents, the lawmaking process, the role of parties, and relations with the president and the courts, anchored by a semester-long congressional simulation.

Semesters taught: Fall 2022, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 (Pittsburgh)

Indigenous Politics

POL 334 · Syllabus · Fall 2025

Indigenous politics in the United States, from nationhood, sovereignty and self-determination to tribal executives, councils, courts and elections. The course traces the history of federal Indian policy, examines Native representation and political behavior, and covers policy areas including tribal economies, the environment, health and education.

Sample assignments: Federal Indian policy analysis · Indigenous institutions analysis · Issue brief

Semesters taught: Fall 2025 (Arizona)

The Politics of Public Policy

PS 1281 · Syllabus · Spring 2024

How public policy is made at the local, state and national levels, and how to analyze it. The first half covers the branches of government and outside actors such as the public, interest groups and the media; the second examines current debates in specific policy areas.

Sample assignments: Policy framing analysis · Policy podcast

Semesters taught: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 (Pittsburgh)

Gender and Politics

POL 335 · Syllabus · Fall 2024

How gender shapes political behavior, political institutions and public policy. Each week takes up a different topic through historical and contemporary research, news and personal narratives, and students evaluate policy problems and solutions that involve gender.

Sample assignment: Design HER Campaign

Semesters taught: Fall 2024 (Arizona)

Race, Gender, and Politics

PS 1292/1205 · PS 127 · Syllabus · Fall 2023

How race and gender shape political behavior, political institutions and public policy in the United States. Students weigh a range of perspectives on these issues and evaluate possible policy solutions.

Semesters taught: Fall 2023, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2018 (Pittsburgh); Spring 2017 (UC Merced)

Mentoring

  • Graduate student co-authors: Katherine Sevin (Publius, 2025); Nicholas Brouwer and Corbin Verschaeve (work in progress)

  • Dissertation committees: Nicholas Brouwer, UC Merced (2024–present); Nicole Loncaric, University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. 2024); Jacob Schiller, University of Pittsburgh (co-chair, Ph.D. 2023)

  • Undergraduate theses: Avery Lauren Fletcher and Ryan Ball, honors theses, University of Arizona (2025–26); Sarayu Cheemalapati (2026) and Jake Rosen (2025), BPhil committees, University of Pittsburgh

  • Undergraduate independent study: Treya Barney, University of Arizona (2026)

  • Undergraduate research assistants: Treya Barney (Spring 2025–Spring 2026), Jazlyn F. Ortega (Fall 2025), Isabella Terese Nicholls (Fall 2025), Harrison Norman Rothacher (Spring 2025)

  • Building the field: co-organizer, inaugural Future Generations dissertation workshop for Indigenous political science (2025)