My teaching emphasizes how policy is made, analyzed, implemented, and evaluated—especially the role of nonstate actors (including nonprofits) and the ways policy shapes public values and future politics. I aim to support students as whole people by recognizing that students bring distinct goals, identities, and experiences to the classroom, and that policy debates can feel personal in different ways.
My approach
I design courses to be rigorous, practical, and supportive by helping students build skills they can use immediately in professional settings. In my teaching, you’ll see:
- Intentional course design and continuous improvement. I draw on Universal Design for Learning and backward design to support multiple modes of engagement and clear learning outcomes.
- Low-stakes practice + frequent feedback. I use structured guides and smaller assignments to help students keep up with material and get feedback early.
- Student-centered learning. I look for ways to shift leadership to students (e.g., student-led panels and facilitated discussions) to build confidence and ownership.
- Real-world application. Assignments are designed to strengthen practical policy skills—clear writing, analysis, and engagement with real institutions and policy processes.
- Responsible use of AI. I teach students how to use AI strategically (e.g., exploring research directions, outlining, clarifying complex concepts), while setting clear expectations about appropriate use.
Courses
I have developed core and elective courses in the School of Public Policy, including:
- SPP 601 – Politics of the Policy Process: How policy change happens (and why it often doesn’t), with a focus on process and practical engagement.
- SPP 603 – Policy Analysis: Tools and frameworks for evaluating policy alternatives and developing evidence-based recommendations.
- SPP 604 – Policy & Program Evaluation: Designing and interpreting evaluation research, with attention to ethics and equity in public and nonprofit contexts.
- SPP 610 – Capstone: Culminating course focused on producing research paper
- SPP 609 – Workshop: Culminating course focused on producing a policy-relevant product for a client
- SPP 690G – Governing the Energy Transition: How federal, state, and local governance shapes renewable energy siting and implementation, with attention to stakeholder conflict, land-use politics, and environmental justice; students apply comparative case analysis (including QCA) to identify what policy approaches work.
Explore more
Course information (coming soon)