Teaching

Current Courses at GW

PSC 3500 The Politics of Crime and Violence: This course introduces undergraduate students to the complex relationship between politics and criminal violence in the contemporary world. The substantive focus is on political processes, institutions, and policies that influence patterns of crime and violence within countries. We examine studies from political science, economics, sociology, and criminology with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. Students become familiar with different methodological approaches used in the systematic study of criminal violence and develop skills to think critically about relevant scholarly work.

PSC 3192W The Political Economy of Organized Violence: This is a proseminar for advanced undergraduate students that can also be taken for graduate credit with permission and additional work. We examine how the interplay between economic and political factors has shaped different forms of intrastate organized violence in the post-World War II era, including both criminal and political violence. In addition to presenting and discussing relevant literature, students complete a short research paper or research design addressing questions related to violence against civilians, vigilantism, criminal governance, organized crime, and social repair.

IAFF 3187 Mexico Since Independence: This course examines two centuries of Mexico’s political history. It is structured into two segments, each offering a distinct approach to the country’s historical narrative. The first part of the course is structured in chronological order, starting with an overview of the Mexican independence movement and closing with a discussion of current events in Mexican politics. The second part of the course follows a thematic structure, focused on policy-relevant issues with deep historical roots, such as migration, crime and violence, social mobility, and cultural processes.

PSC 3500 U.S.-Mexico Relations: The United States and Mexico share a rich history, including territorial disputes, trade agreements, and bilateral challenges across numerous policy issues. The 2,000-mile border between these two countries comprises the largest migration corridor in the world and exhibits the highest income per capita differential found at any land border. This course provides a comprehensive overview of policy-relevant debates concerning the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. After an introduction to the institutional context and historical background, the course is divided into three modules: 1) Migration, 2) Security, and 3) Trade.

Courses Taught at Other Institutions

Intrastate Conflict, UC Davis (Undergraduate)

Mexican Politics, UC Davis (Undergraduate)

Research Methods for Political Science, UC Davis (Graduate)

Applied Causal Inference, UC Davis (Graduate)

TA for Causal Inference, NYU (Graduate)

TA for Quantitative Political Analysis, NYU (Undergraduate)