Teaching

PLAD 2500: The Politics of Migration

Semester: Spring, 2025

This is a lecture course on migration and mobility. We will survey the theory and practice of domestic and global migration with a focus on political causes and consequences. The course will combine theoretical perspectives, detailed case studies, and historical examples to help understand why people move, where they go, and the effects of that mobility on host and home communities. 

 

Syllabus: will be available at the beginning of the  Spring semester.


PLIR 7390: International Political Economy of Migration and Finance

Semester: Spring, 2025

This is a PhD level course on international political economy.  While the substance of the course focuses on issues related to international migration and international financial/monetary politics, the primary objective of the course is to teach students to conduct original and independent research. This is an advanced seminar and it is expected that student have already taken the core IPE course.  I expect that students will have taken (or be taking) introductory quantitative methods and have more than a passing familiarity with international economics.


Syllabus (note: this version is from 2022; it will be updated prior to the spring)


 




PLAD 4500: Migration

Semester: Fall, 2024

This undergraduate seminar on migration is intentionally without a modifier.  The only implied modifier is that we are studying human migration—nothing about bees, antelopes, or sparrows here.  The frame for the class is on displacement: why people born and/or “rooted” in one place move somewhere else.  Sometimes the decision to move is voluntary; sometimes it is not.  Sometimes people remain because they choose to; sometimes they are unable.  We will explore the way(s) in which migrants chose different destinations, how host and home communities encourage/discourage mobility, and how those who move remain connected with those who remain.  Throughout the class we will draw from a rich variety of source materials: there are stories of migration in the Bible, in music, and in art.  We will explore displacement across countries, contexts, and histories. 

 

Syllabus (note: this is the original syllabus; any updates will appear on the course CANVAS page)