Current and Past Courses

Gender in State and Local Politics

Lecturer for Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Tufts University

Original course developed for Spring 2021

Course Description: This course uses the politics of Boston and the politics of Massachusetts to interrogate how gender shapes state and local politics in the United States. Through the course, students will be introduced to key theoretical approaches to the study of gender in US politics and public policy. The course will cover how gender shapes political behavior in social movements, on the campaign trail, and within local and state governments. Throughout the course students will learn how to apply the concepts covered to analyze the role of gender in contemporary Boston and Massachusetts politics.

Students engaged in material through: large group discussion, in class activities designed to encourage breaking down concepts & ideas, ethnographic field notes, a mid-term assignment assessing women’s representation in Boston and Massachusetts, an original research paper, podcast, or policy brief (Spring & Fall 2021) and a group project developing an analysis of feminist mobilization in Massachusetts or a municipality within the greater Boston area (Fall 2022).

Congress, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy

Lecturer for Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023 Tufts University

Course Description: The focus of this course is on the national policy-making process. Examination of such topics as agenda building, the relationship between congressional elections and public policy outcomes, legislative process, congressional-agency relations, bureaucratic politics, and program implementation.

Students engaged in material through: large and small group discussion, case studies, three memos applying concepts from academic research to the case studies covered in class, and an original research paper.

Gender and Public Policy

Lecturer for Fall 2021, Fall 2022 Tufts University

Original Course Developed for Fall 2021

Course Description: Why does the United States not have paternity leave? Why did the Bush administration claim intervention in Afghanistan would improve the lives of women in the Middle East? Which politicians are more likely to pursue policies that disproportionately impact women? Through this course students will develop their ability to answer these questions. This course will familiarize students with contemporary scholarship on gender and the public policy process and feminist approaches to the study of the public policy.

Students engaged in material through: large and small group discussion, 3 short critical analysis papers, and an original research paper, or podcast.

Political Representation in the United States

Taught Spring 2022, Spring 2023 Tufts University

Course Description: This seminar examines several aspects of political representation in the United States. Particular attention is given to debates about what constitutes “good” or “effective” representation and proposals for reform. Topics include Congressional redistricting, electoral competition, whether Congress should “look like America,” term limits, the relationship between public opinion and policy making, and how elected officials learn about public opinion. We address democratic theory and study the impact that electoral rules have on public opinion, political behavior, and representation. Assignments include two short papers, one research paper, a midterm report, and weekly discussions. 

Note: This course satisfies the “advanced seminar” requirement for Political Science majors, and is part of the Department’s subfield in American Politics. It falls under the University’s “Social Sciences” distribution. Prerequisite: any American politics course. 

Students engaged in material through: Class discussion, 2 critical analysis papers throughout the semester, a midterm applying theories of representation to their own elected officials, and a literature review

Women, Politics, and Public Policy

Independent Instructor for Fall 2016-Spring 2017, Purdue University

Sophomore Level Course covering key concepts in women’s representation, social movements, and public policy on “women’s issues”

Students engaged in material through: large and small group discussion, in class activities designed to encourage breaking down concepts & ideas, and an original research paper.