Welcome to my website! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of International Studies at the American University of Sharjah (AUS). Before moving to the UAE, I also taught at UC, Riverside and Occidental College.

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I have taught ten different courses over the last seven years:

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1. Introduction to Political Science;

2. Introduction to Comparative Politics;

3. Introduction to International Relations;

4. Introduction to American Politics;

5. International Organizations;

6. American Foreign Policy

7. The European Union and the Politics of Integration;

8. Fascism and the Populist Radical Right in Europe;

9. The Making of Modern Europe;

10. Senior Research Seminar.

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Regardless of the course taught, I always encourage students to engage with diverse perspectives and ideas. Having lived in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the United States, and now the Middle East, I have learned to integrate personal experiences and observations with competing paradigms and empirical studies when teaching. Ultimately, a good course should not only help students develop themselves into thoughtful global citizens, it should encourage students to self-reflect on their beliefs and biases

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I also have several research interests that keep me busy: West European party system change, the populist radical right and its impact on party systems, immigration and its implications for citizenship and politics in Western Europe, and the impact of increased European integration upon EU member states.  My work has been published in World Politics, Sage Research Methods Cases, the Uruguayan Political Science Review, and Open Citizenship. I've also published book reviews in West European Politics and Party Politics.

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Besides a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University, I have an M.A. in European Studies from New York University and a B.A. in History and International Affairs from Lafayette College. I also studied U.S. foreign policy for a semester at the American University in the spring of 2003.