I have developed, offered, and taught my own courses on American politics, postmaterialist value change and game theory. I also have extensive experience doing assisting teaching work in undergraduate and graduate methods classes, as well as business and politics courses.

Offered Courses

Introduction to American Politics (Undergraduate, Summer 2012 & Summer 2013)

This course will examine how the government of the United States is organized, the rationale behind its organization, and the ways citizens, political actors, and political institutions interact to achieve political goals. As we consider the foundations of American government, major political institutions, and mechanisms that link citizens and government, we will make particular note of the diversity of the American experience as evidenced in research on race and gender. This course is appropriate for political science majors who wish to gain a foundation in American politics as well as for non-majors who simply wish to gain a better understanding of American government and processes.

Politics and the Future (Undergraduate, Summer 2010)

The course will focus on a number of trends in society, business, and culture, and the possible implications of these
trends for the political world. Some of these trends include the rise of environmentalism, the recent resurgence in religious practice,
increasing prevalence of protest politics, and demands for corporate social responsibility. We'll first cover some frameworks which attempt
to explain these trends, and then apply them to gain a stronger grasp of these changes and how they may impact politics in the
future. Using these tools, we'll debate the possible causes and consequences of these trends.

By the end of the course you should have a much better grasp of some of the most important trends we face, as well as how these trends
may affect society, business, and most importantly, politics.

Introduction to Game Theory (Pre-College, Summer 2011)

This course will provide students with an understanding of the basic building blocks of game theory. These concepts
will be illustrated through games such as Deal or No Deal, Diplomacy, and others. After learning how to beat each game,
students will have the opportunity to apply their new knowledge by playing each game in class.

Teaching Assistantships
Note: Teaching evaluations are unavailable for the 2009-2010 academic year due to technical malfunctions with the university's course evaluation tool.

 

Game Theory (Undergraduate)
PSC 288, Kostas Matakos Spring 2013

Game theory is a systematic study of strategic situations. It is a theory that helps us analyze economic and political strategic issues, such as behavior of individuals in a group, competition among firms in a market, platform choices of political candidates, and so on. We will develop the basic concepts and results of game theory, including simultaneous and sequential move games, repeated games and games with incomplete information. The objective of the course is to enable the student to analyze strategic situations on his/her own. The emphasis of the course is on theoretical aspects of strategic behavior, so familiarity with mathematical formalism is desirable.

Introduction to American Politics (Undergraduate)
PSC 105, Professor Valeria Sinclair-Chapman Spring 2012

This course will examine how the government of the United States is organized, the rationale behind its organization, and the ways citizens, political actors, and political institutions interact to achieve political goals. As we consider the foundations of American government, major political institutions, and mechanisms that link citizens and government, we will make particular note of the diversity of the American experience as evidenced in research on race and gender. This course is appropriate for political science majors who wish to gain a foundation in American politics as well as for non-majors who simply wish to gain a better understanding of American government and processes.

For this course, I developed class exercises to illustrate the effects of electoral and federal institutions, led review sessions in advance of exams, and held a weekly hour-long recitation/discussion.

Business and Politics (Undergraduate)
PSC 238, Professor David Primo Fall 2009

This course uses the tools of political science and economics to study how corporations affect and are
affected by politics. Each meeting features a general topic as well as in-depth analysis of cases related to that
topic. The course covers a broad range of issues affecting the business world, including regulation, lawmaking, the
mass media, interest group mobilization, and corporate social responsibility. Cases are drawn from areas
such as antitrust, telecommunications, the environment, and transportation. Course meetings generally
begin with a lecture followed by extensive class discussion.

For this course, I graded assignments and exams, and led review sessions in advance of exams.

Politics and Markets: Innovation and the Global Business Environment (Undergraduate)
PSC 244K, Professor David Primo Spring 2010

Innovation is a driving force behind the massive increases in wealth that occurred in the 20th century,
and the globalization of business is causing changes in the world's economy that we are only beginning to understand.
This course spends several weeks studying how entrepreneurship and innovation are affected by government institutions.
The course then spends several weeks studying business strategy in the global business environment, focusing on the
role of regulations imposed by foreign governments and international organizations. Class meetings are a mix of lecture
and discussion, use real-world cases, and feature guest speakers. By the end of the course, students have a stronger
understanding of how businesses shape and are shaped by government policies. There are no prerequisites for this course,
 though some exposure to political science or economics is useful.

For this course, I graded assignments and exams, and led review sessions in advance of exams.

Survey Research Methods (Undergraduate)
PSC 203, Professor Michael Peress, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012

This course offers an introduction to the understanding of politics through data analysis, with particular emphasis on
surveys of the mass public. Students study selecting a sample, designing and conducting a survey, interpreting the results
of a survey, correcting for bias in a survey, and measuring the accuracy of a survey.

For this course, I graded assignments and exams, developed tutorials and guides, and led review sessions in advance of exams.

Introduction to Comparative Politics (Undergraduate)
IR/PSC 101, Professor Bonnie M. Meguid, Fall 2010

This course introduces students to comparative politics — the study of domestic political institutions, processes, and outcomes
across and within countries. These important themes and concepts of contemporary comparative politics include the vibrancy of
democracy, the centrality of political and electoral institutions, the possibility of revolution and the power of ethnicity.
Cases are drawn from different countries and historical periods to give students a grounding in the method of comparative analysis.
This course is recommended for those thinking about a major, minor, or cluster in political science or international relations
and others who are simply interested in learning more about the politics of developed and developing countries.

For this course, I graded assignments and exams, developed a class exercise to illustrate the distortionary effects of electoral
institutions, led review sessions in advance of exams, and held a weekly hour-long recitation/discussion.

 

Proposed Courses

New Media and Decentralized Campaigning (Undergraduate)

This course builds on my dissertation of the Bush/Cheney 2004, Obama/Biden 2008, Obama/Biden 2012 and Romney/Ryan 2012 campaigns as well as the Bush and Obama grassroots lobbying organizations to provide students with an understanding of the individual capabilities and limitations of various forms of new media to persuade and mobilize political activists. This foundation will then be used to build understanding of how each these media forms have particularly suited applications within the structure of campaign organizations, and what the implications of these new media are for how campaigns operate, particularly in decentralizing control over campaign operations.

Interest Group Communication (Undergraduate)

This undergraduate course builds on my own research of internal interest group communications techniques and political socialization to provide students with an understanding of how and when various media can be used to effectively mobilize leaders, create a sense of identity and loyalty among members and develop leaders. The course will also compare theories of group-based and decentralized mobilization and evidence for pitfalls and strengths of both approaches. The course includes a group project which will allow students to leave with a tailored communications plan for an interest group of their choice.

Business and Politics (Undergraduate)

The focus of this course is the conflict and cooperation between business and government, with an emphasis on U.S. domestic politics. We will cover a broad range of issues affecting the business world, including regulation, lawmaking, the mass media, interest group activism, and crisis management. The course will connect ongoing political debates to theory, and guest speakers will bring their business and political experience to our class. Each meeting will feature a general topic, as well as in-depth analyses of real-world cases related to that topic. What happens when Wal-Mart tries to open a new store in a city with strong unions? Who is opposed to grocery stores selling wine, and why? How did General Motors fight back against a media report critical of its products? Is "corporate social responsibility" actually irresponsible? These are just a few of the questions we'll answer during the semester, all while developing an understanding of what happens when politics meets economics.

Innovation and Global Regulation (Undergraduate and Graduate)

In this course, the first half covers how entrepreneurship and innovation are affected by government rules and, in turn, how businesses try to shape those regulations. The second half is spent studying business strategy in the global business environment, focusing on the role of regulations imposed by foreign governments and international organizations. By the end of the course, students should have a stronger understanding of how businesses shape and are shaped by government policies. Class meetings will be a mix of lecture and discussion, using real-world cases and featuring guest speakers.

Survey Research Methods (Undergraduate)

This course offers an introduction to the understanding of politics through data analysis, with particular emphasis on surveys of the mass public. We will study selecting a sample, designing and conducting a survey, interpreting the results of a survey, correcting for bias in a survey, and measuring the accuracy of a survey. We pay special attention to the accuracy of public opinion polling preceding the 2012 primary and Presidential elections.

Quantitative Methods in Political Science I (Graduate)

This course provides students with a basic understanding of the linear regression model and its variants. The course has two goals: (1) to provide students with the statistical theory of the linear model, and (2) to provide students with skills for analyzing data. The linear model is a natural starting point for understanding regression models in general, inferences based on them, and problems with our inferences due to data issues or to model misspecification.

Quantitative Methods in Political Science II (Graduate)

The classical linear regression model is inappropriate for many of the most interesting problems in political science. This course builds upon the analytical foundations of Quantitative Methods I, taking the latter's emphasis on the classical linear model as its point of departure. Here students will learn methods to analyze models and data for event counts, durations, censoring, truncation, selection, multinomial ordered/unordered categories, strategic choices, spatial voting models, and time series. A major goal of the course will be to teach students how to develop new models and techniques for analyzing issues they encounter in their own research.

Liberty in the American Tradition and the American Future (Undergraduate)

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the role of free-markets and voluntary associations in the American tradition of self-government and how that tradition has developed and evolved over time. The course will provide students with a foundation in the works influential to the Founding and early Republic, including Smith and de Tocqueville. The course will then connect these thinkers with modern and contemporary scholars of free market capitalism and competition between voluntary associations such as Friedman, Putnam, and Finke and Stark. Finally, the course will turn to the association between the growing prosperity produced by free-market growth policies and changing preferences in favor of personal liberty with examination of the work of Inglehart and Florida.

Political Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice (Undergraduate)

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of how interest groups are initially formed, how they maintain themselves in the face of market competition, and how they mobilize and respond to their membership. The course is divided into two sections, the first of which is an overview of the political science literature on the subject, examining collective action, pluralism, organizational ecology, and experiential search theories, among others. The second section is built around a group project in which students create a business plan to modify an existing interest group and improve its effectiveness in the non-profit market. Readings on nonprofit entrepreneurship will be assigned during the second half of the course. Students will end the course by presenting their business plan with support from the readings from both sections of the course.