Teaching
At TAMU, I teach courses in international relations at the graduate level.
INTA 670: International Affairs Capstone - U.S. Security Cooperation in Iraq and Ukraine (2012-2022)
Capstone projects at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University are integrative, team-based, applied research projects required of all students. Led by a faculty member on behalf of a client, these projects require students to think independently, frame and analyze issues, and apply their academic knowledge and skills. (see here for more details) For this capstone, students researched past cases of security cooperation to derive implications about how the United States can improve security cooperation to avoid its pitfalls and maximize its successes. The client was the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) – the main knowledge and professional education center of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which leads and manages engagement with foreign security forces and institutions for the Department of Defense (DoD). The team traveled to Washington D.C. to brief DSCU and DASD Michelle Strucke.
Capstone projects at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University are integrative, team-based, applied research projects required of all students. Led by a faculty member on behalf of a client, these projects require students to think independently, frame and analyze issues, and apply their academic knowledge and skills. (see here for more details) For this capstone, students researched past cases of security cooperation to derive implications about how the United States can improve security cooperation to avoid its pitfalls and maximize its successes. The client was the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) – the main knowledge and professional education center of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which leads and manages engagement with foreign security forces and institutions for the Department of Defense (DoD). The team traveled to Washington D.C. to brief DSCU and DASD Michelle Strucke.
INTA 686: Russia in International Politics
This class examines the causes and consequences of Russian foreign policy since 1991. Students will leave with an introductory understanding of the history that led to the rise of President Vladimir Putin and shaped Russia’s current place in the international system, as well as how Russian foreign policy has evolved since Putin came to power. The class will outline three main analytical models for understanding Russian foreign policy: international systemic factors, domestic politics, as well as ideology and psychology. The class will also provide students with an overview of important topics in Russian foreign policy, such as the role of the security forces and the Russian economy, and Russia’s relationships with its neighbors, including Ukraine and China.
INTA 689: Proxy Wars and Military Intervention (to be offered Spring 2024)
Great powers frequently intervene with military force in the affairs of other states. Intervention takes many forms, from boots on the ground to proxy war. In the 21st century, great powers increasingly rely on these indirect forms of intervention, supporting proxies with air power, military aid, and military advisors. This class examines these topics through the lens of the United States, Russia, France, and NATO – the international actors that account for most contemporary military intervention and proxy war. We will examine why states intervene; the promise and peril of proxy war; counterinsurgency and counterterrorism in the 21st century; the ethical tradeoffs and consequences (both foreign and domestic) of global intervention and supporting proxies; the impact of technology and new actors on the battlefield; and the future of military intervention in an increasingly multipolar world. By the end of the class, students will understand why states intervene, how they intervene, and will have formed a well-researched and considered opinion about the efficacy and appropriate use of military intervention and proxy war.
INTA 606: International Relations in Theory and Practice
This class examines international politics through the lens of academic research as well as through readings and projects that apply this research to contemporary issues, such as international security, climate change, global health, economic growth, and the rise of China. The premise of the class is that the theory and practice of international politics are interconnected: theory can inform policy, while contemporary policy issues should inform research and theory. After completing this class, students will have an introductory knowledge of the history of contemporary international order as well as competing academic theories about international conflict and cooperation. They will also learn how to apply these theories to answer contemporary policy questions.
This class examines the causes and consequences of Russian foreign policy since 1991. Students will leave with an introductory understanding of the history that led to the rise of President Vladimir Putin and shaped Russia’s current place in the international system, as well as how Russian foreign policy has evolved since Putin came to power. The class will outline three main analytical models for understanding Russian foreign policy: international systemic factors, domestic politics, as well as ideology and psychology. The class will also provide students with an overview of important topics in Russian foreign policy, such as the role of the security forces and the Russian economy, and Russia’s relationships with its neighbors, including Ukraine and China.
INTA 689: Proxy Wars and Military Intervention (to be offered Spring 2024)
Great powers frequently intervene with military force in the affairs of other states. Intervention takes many forms, from boots on the ground to proxy war. In the 21st century, great powers increasingly rely on these indirect forms of intervention, supporting proxies with air power, military aid, and military advisors. This class examines these topics through the lens of the United States, Russia, France, and NATO – the international actors that account for most contemporary military intervention and proxy war. We will examine why states intervene; the promise and peril of proxy war; counterinsurgency and counterterrorism in the 21st century; the ethical tradeoffs and consequences (both foreign and domestic) of global intervention and supporting proxies; the impact of technology and new actors on the battlefield; and the future of military intervention in an increasingly multipolar world. By the end of the class, students will understand why states intervene, how they intervene, and will have formed a well-researched and considered opinion about the efficacy and appropriate use of military intervention and proxy war.
INTA 606: International Relations in Theory and Practice
This class examines international politics through the lens of academic research as well as through readings and projects that apply this research to contemporary issues, such as international security, climate change, global health, economic growth, and the rise of China. The premise of the class is that the theory and practice of international politics are interconnected: theory can inform policy, while contemporary policy issues should inform research and theory. After completing this class, students will have an introductory knowledge of the history of contemporary international order as well as competing academic theories about international conflict and cooperation. They will also learn how to apply these theories to answer contemporary policy questions.