I teach courses on politics and international relations at UMass Boston, ranging from Introduction to Politics (POLSCI 101) to upper-level seminars for MA and PhD students. My teaching focuses primarily on foreign policy making, international relations theory, national security, nationalism and national identity, political psychology, U.S.-Japan relations, and research design.

For almost twenty years, I also taught undergraduate and graduate students at Florida International University in the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Resources for Students

  • Some free advice for students writing about politics and international relations (or anything else).

  • Suppose you need more advice about writing than the morsels contained on my “free advice” page, above. There are many good books about English grammar and writing style, but perhaps you don’t own them. In that case, the Purdue University Online Writing Lab can come to your rescue. Not just for Purdue students, this is a wonderful online grammar and style guide.

  • You already know about Wikipedia. For more detailed and very thoughtful discussion of many philosophical (and political) concepts, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an excellent, less-appreciated resource.

  • For many years, the Theory Talks website featured interviews with dozens of prominent international relations scholars; sadly, this site currently appears to be inactive. Yet John Åberg, a lecturer in international relations at Malmö University, does have a very nice collection of interviews with IR scholars on his Youtube channel.

  • International relations students sometimes wonder where to find more information about a career in this field. One good resource is InternationalRelationsEDU.org, which offers career guides, advice about various degrees in this field, and information about salaries and scholarships.

  • Prof. Maria Angel Ferrera, from the University of Montpellier, explains “How to Give a Good Academic Paper Presentation.”

  • Prof. Carolyn Holmes, from Mississippi State University, brilliantly teaches us how to design the Worlds Worst PowerPoint Presentation.

Undergraduate Courses

Graduate Courses

  • GGHS 713 International Relations Theory (for students in Global Governance and Human Security)

  • GGHS 780 Doctoral Research Design (for students in Global Governance and Human Security)

  • INTREL 611 Theories and Concepts of International Relations

  • INTREL 613 International Relations Research Methods

  • INTREL 635 Foreign Policymaking