Teaching and Mentorship

Philosophy

As an educator and mentor, my goal is to train students for the intellectual rigors of life in a dynamic and globalized world, with a firm foundation of knowledge of the particular subject matter; the tools needed to continue their learning; and a curiosity and appreciation for the subject.  Where students have access to enormous amounts of information, I serve as a guide to direct them to think critically about this information and apply it beyond the classroom.

In practice, I find students to be more confident with the material and retain concepts when exposed to the same information, but in different ways, multiple times over the course of a class.  This includes lectures, readings, the use of podcasts and games, as well as research projects to cover a range of topics throughout the course.  This distributed practice of reinforcing concepts recognized students’ different learning styles and emphasized deep understanding of foundational concepts that will stay with students even after the course ends.

Based on my research, training, and years of professional experience as an attorney, I have a unique perspective that I can offer students in the classroom and as a mentor.  While teaching or mentoring, I place particular emphasis on writing and the ability to convey an argument cohesively and persuasively.  Effective communication is key to every students’ success.

Teaching

Assistant Professor of Law, Santa Clara UNIVERSITY School of Law
  • Legal Aspects of War: Humanitarian Law (Spring 2023)
    • Course examining the history and development of the laws of war; the law of going to war (jus ad bellum); the law governing conduct during war (jus in bello); the role of tribunals and international courts in and after conflict; and the application of the laws of war to emerging topics, including drone and cyber warfare.
  • Civil Procedure 2 (Spring 2023)
    • Second half of year-long course studying the rules, standards, and values that govern the procedures used in civil cases in the federal district courts of the United States.
  • Civil Procedure 1 (Fall 2022, 2023)
    • First half of year-long course studying the rules, standards, and values that govern the procedures used in civil cases in the federal district courts of the United States.
Teaching Assistant, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
  • IR 101: International Relations (Spring 2022)
    • Non-major course covering the basic concepts of world affairs with an emphasis on stressing empirical approaches.
  • IR 210: International Relations – Introductory Analysis (Spring 2017, Spring 2019)
    • Comprehensive introductory course presenting theoretical and analytical approaches to international relations.
  • IR 213: The Global Economy (Fall 2018)
    • Course covering economic and political concepts necessary to the understanding of the modern global economy, including international trade, foreign investment and migration.
Guest Lecturer, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
  • IR 318: Violent Conflict (Fall 2017)
    • Upper-level course on origins and evolution of violent conflict among humans and modern efforts to end conflict.  Lectured on international mediation, peace agreements, and hybrid and cyber warfare.

Mentorship