Teaching

Jilin-1 Apr13

  • Global Inequality and Development (undergraduate) – Introductory course examining theories and approaches currently influencing development planning and assessing their promise in light of past experiences (course evaluations: Spring ’15, Fall ’13; Spring ’13; Spring ’10)
  • International Development (graduate) – Survey course examining history and theories of the international development agenda as well as currently dominant approaches; students learn about inherent contradictions, trade-offs, and the political economy dynamics (course evaluations: Summer ’14; Fall ’11Fall ’10Fall ’09)
  • Violence in Cities: Global Perspectives (undergraduate) – Capstone seminar for college seniors investigating causes and trends of different types of violence in contemporary urban settings; includes a field trip (course evaluation unavailable)
  • Global Cities Today: Bogotá, Karachi, Lagos, and Washington, DC (undergraduate) – Cross-disciplinary seminar introducing students to current thinking in global urban studies; co-taught with David Pike, Professor of Literature at American University (course evaluation: Spring ’14)
  • Urban Development: Theories, Policies and Discourses (graduate) – Encourages students to develop a critical appreciation of urban politics and management in developing regions by comparing competing visions and practices and evaluating them against the backdrop of prominent theories of social change (course evaluations: Spring ’15, Fall ’11Fall ’10Fall ’09)
  • Policy Analysis for International Affairs (doctoral) – Seminar for second-year doctoral students focusing on constructivist approaches to policy analysis as exercises in applied political economy (course evaluation: Fall ’14)
  • Development Policies (graduate) – Advanced course of the Development Management curriculum; teaches students how to conduct policy analyses in different methodological traditions and in the context of international development practice (course evaluations: Spring ’14; Spring ’13)
  • Program Evaluation (graduate) – Advanced course of the Development Management curriculum; acquaints students with evaluation approaches and techniques with an emphasis on evaluation design and analysis; student teams work with extramural partners and conduct actual evaluations (course evaluations: Spring ’11Spring ’10)

Prior to joining American University, I taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Department of Urban Studies and Planning), Columbia University (School of International and Public Affairs and Mailman School of Public Health), Chulalongkorn University (Political Science Department) in Thailand, and at the London School of Economics and Political Science (Department of International Development), my alma mater.

Spring 2009 (MIT/Columbia)

  • at MIT: Urbanization and Development (graduate) – Newly developed course on urban growth in developing countries and regions, investigating local and transnational forces driving urbanization and related governance challenges such as inequality, rising crime, environmental risk, forms of political opposition (course evaluation)
  • at Columbia: Workshops in Applied Development (graduate) – Advised two student teams on real-world consulting projects for international clients [Booz Allen Hamilton on evaluating energy projects’ contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (workshop evaluation); Government of Mauritius on circular migration scheme]
  • at Columbia: Health and International Development: Institutions, Policies and Politics (graduate) – Revised syllabus; focus on political economy of health policy-making and agency in developing countries (course evaluation)
  • at Columbia: Program Evaluation (graduate) – Core course providing an overview of approaches and techniques to determine program effectiveness and efficiency; emphasis on evaluation design and analysis (course evaluation)

2008 (Columbia)

  • Methods for Development Practice (graduate) – Focuses on developing critical understanding of key analytical tools and project cycle approaches employed by organizations in development practice (course evaluation)
  • Health and International Development: Institutions, Policies and Politics (graduate) – Highly popular new course focusing on international health policy and practice in developing countries (course evaluation)

2007 (Chulalongkorn)

  • Development Theory and Practice (graduate) – Post-graduate seminar focusing on critical theories of international development, historical analysis and qualitative research skills; taught 14 graduate students

2006 (LSE)

  • Development Management (graduate) – Led two seminars (total of 27 students) on institutional analysis, politics and international political economy; served as faculty advisor to 16 international students, supervised 19 student teams conducting consulting projects for development organizations (seminar evaluation)
  • Social Science Research Methods (graduate) – Graded 142 final papers on qualitative research methods