I teach courses in the comparative politics, historical sociology, and international relations of the Middle East (a list of courses and sample syllabi can be found below). My teaching explores revolutions and protest, authoritarianism and civil society, economic crisis and civil war – some of the most crucial issues facing the Middle East today.

Although grounded in case studies and empirical evidence from the Middle East, my courses go beyond the region and also teach students to: (i) grapple with key concepts from the study of politics and international relations; (ii) engage with how and why we conceptualize social and political phenomena in the way we do; and (iii) apply the theories and paradigms used in disciplinary social science to real-world cases about which they are curious to learn more.

I conceptualize learning as a developmental process in which students encounter new ways of thinking, hone skills of critical reasoning, and expand their understanding of the world and their place within it.

I have taught very diverse groups of students (in terms of intellectual background, nationalities, and politics) at institutions in
Europe, North America, and the Middle East, including George Washington University, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, University of Exeter, School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), London School of Economics (LSE), and Georgetown University – Qatar. I also taught English in Damascus for a year.

In recent years I have experimented with an array of new or unconventional methods to engage with and include students with varied learning styles, different degrees of prior knowledge, and diverse personal or cultural backgrounds. I have used techniques, suitable to online and in-person teaching, including video introductions, peer review of written assignments, exercises in self-grading and critical reflection, in-class simulation exercises, collaborative audio-visual timelines, book and film reviews, analysis of pop culture, presenter-discussant pairings, and after-class online forum discussions.

I have a post-graduate qualification in university teaching from the University of Exeter and am a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

• The Middle East in International Affairs (spring 2024)
• Politics of Syria (summer 2018)
• Understanding the Arab World (spring 2017, fall 2017, fall 2019)
• Introduction to Middle East Politics (fall 2008, fall 2009, fall 2010)
• Politics of Empire in the Middle East (fall 2008, spring 2009, fall 2009, spring 2010, fall 2010)
• Government & Politics of the Middle East (fall 2006, spring 2007)
• The Arab-Israeli Conflict (fall 2006, spring 2007)
• The Middle East in Global Politics (summer 2006, summer 2007)