Teaching and Lectures

I teach courses and topics in political behavior, American politics, the criminal justice system, gender and politics, and research methods, with an emphasis on the development of strong quantitative and qualitative methodological skills.

Selected courses

• Mass Incarceration: Examines the politics of the American criminal justice system. Some excellent student projects: visual politics of policing; illustrated zine on carceral institutions; educational video explaining policing and rights to middle-schoolers, constitutional critique of pretrial detention; podcast with an immigration attorney on "crimmigration." (Syllabus).
• Junior Research Seminar: Introduces students to the research process in political science. Students develop original proposals while learning how to formulate research questions and evaluate evidence.
• Quantitative Methods for Political Science: Statistical reasoning and regression analysis for social sciences. Students learn to analyze political data using R while developing the skills to evaluate and produce empirical research.
• Introduction to American Politics: Introduces students to the academic study of U.S. politics by examining the constitutional and institutional foundations of American government, as well as the behavior of political elites, interest groups, political parties, the media, and citizens.

Selected guest lectures:

• Intersectionality in Gender and Politics (Stanford): Draws on recent research to examine how intersectional approaches reshape our understanding of political behavior, with a focus on the conceptual and methodological challenges of studying overlapping inequalities.
• Derry Girls and the Politics of Place and Gender in Northern Ireland (Reed): Uses Derry Girls to examine how gender, place, and identity intersect in Northern Ireland through the lens of popular culture.

          

               

Student Mentorship

Mentoring students is one of the most rewarding parts of my work. In recognition of my contributions to mentoring and education, I received MIT's Graduate Woman of Excellence Award. I have mentored undergraduate and graduate students through a variety of formal and informal programs.

Selected mentorship roles:

• Political Science Thesis (Reed): I advise year-long senior theses and guide students through the development of original research projects.
• Pathways to Political Science (MIT):  I mentored students in the Pathways program, which broadens diversity in the doctoral pipeline through research projects, research assistantships, and professional development workshops.
• Office of Minority Education Mentorship Program (MIT): I mentored underrepresented first-year students, supporting learning strategies, research exploration, and academic transition.
• Political Science Application Mentorship Program (MIT): I advised underrepresented applicants on graduate school and PhD applications in political science.
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