Graduate-level
International Politics
Trinity College Dublin, 2014-2017
This graduate seminar offers an overview of major theories and analytical approaches in the field of international relations. Each week we will cover a particular theoretical lens or approach through which scholars have sought to make sense of the international environment. The readings in this module reflect research that aims to provide logically consistent and empirically supported explanations of outcomes in world politics. The overarching objective of the seminar is for students to become acquainted with scientific approaches to the study of international relations on a wide range of issue areas. My hope is for this module to also serve as a solid foundation for the development of dissertation research questions and design.
Global Environmental Politics
Trinity College Dublin, 2014-2016
International cooperation is often vital for the avoidance of severe environmental risks
such as anthropogenic global warming. The tragedy, as we will cover in this module, is
that international environmental cooperation has oftentimes (although not always) proven
exceptionally difficult to realize. This graduate seminar offers a review of analytical
concepts and thematic topics concerning global environmental politics and policy. In
the first week, we will cover central theories relevant to international cooperation on
mitigation of global environmental threats. Next, we will shift focus to the prospects,
challenges and effectiveness of international environmental institutions and regimes.
The remainder of the module will cover a selection of salient themes in contemporary
global environmental politics research: the impact of non-state actors on international
environmental cooperation, the politics and policy of global warming, and the nexus
between the environment, globalization, and security.
International Development
Trinity College Dublin, 2014-2016
More than two billion people live on an income of less than 2 dollars per day. For many of us in the developed world, it is difficult to grasp the implications of this reality. What factors are responsible for this massive amount of poverty? What explains the chasm which separates the incomes of the developed and developing worlds? What can be done? This module aims to address these and other questions with the caveat that most answers are incomplete and that debates continue unabated in the field of development studies. First, we will review theoretical concepts and empirical evidence concerning global poverty, inequality, and economic growth. Next, the focus will shift to a selection of approaches to understanding the determinants of economic development. We will then review the effectiveness of external interventions on alleviating underdevelopment. Lastly, we will cover studies which focus on the intersection of the natural environment and economic development. By the end of this module, I expect that you will have acquired a concrete understanding of the major issues, complexities, and challenges surrounding international development. It is my hope that, after you have left this classroom and the university, many of you will use this knowledge to change the world for the better.
Research Design
Trinity College Dublin, 2016-2017
This graduate seminar provides an introduction to the scientific inquiry of the political world. Students will learn how to identify compelling research questions and how to structure a study so as to contribute to an existing body of research. The emphasis of the module will be on the development of novel, falsifiable, and empirically testable explanations of political phenomena.
Undergraduate-level
Contemporary International Relations
Trinity College Dublin, 2014-2017
The objective of this undergraduate module is to help students critically evaluate current world affairs using concepts and theories from contemporary international relations research. The international system is a complex environment. Multiple actors, interests and institutions interact to produce outcomes that we read and hear about in the media every day. Students will acquire the necessary theoretical tools which will allow for a clearer understanding of the international system and will facilitate critical and informed evaluation of global events. the causes and consequences of conflicts between nations, as well as theories of international security. Existing empirical results will also be emphasized and particular attention will be paid to the relevance of the concepts introduced to contemporary geopolitical issues and conflicts. The first segment of the course will review the the many dimensions of international conflict, ranging from interstate warfare to transnational terrorism. Following the "blood", we will next shift our focus to the "money" where central themes and theories related to international political economy will be reviewed. Lastly, important new topics of international relations that are especially relevant to understanding the international system of the 21st century, such as transnational networks and issues dealing with environmental policy cooperation, will be studied in the last part of the module.
Research Methods for Political Science
Trinity College Dublin, 2015-2017
This module explores a variety of both qualitative and quantitative social science research to develop the skills for explaining causal mechanism in political phenomena. Especially, the class focuses on the logic of scientific inference, research design and measurement. This module also explores the uses and abuses of statistical reasoning in social and political studies. Students learn the basic rules of data analysis and the logic of statistical inference. The class covers various topics such as survey methodology, content analysis, (quasi) experiments, and policy analysis by doing such work themselves.