TEACHING INTERESTS
COMPARATIVE POLITICS • METHODOLOGY • INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
African politics • autocratic regimes • comparative historical analysis • contentious politics • democratization • event analysis • feminist and intersectional approaches • fieldwork research • gender and politics • humanitarianism • imperialism • inequality • informal institutions • international cooperation •political violence  •  Middle East and North African politics • mixed methodologies •  peacebuilding • postcolonial state • qualitative methods • research design • research ethics • social movements & political change  • transnational movements • war & peace
EXPLORING POLITICAL SCIENCE WITH GAMES
To further stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity, I regularly employ immersive learning techniques emphasizing practical activities in the form of games, simulations, in-depth case studies, etc. This experiential approach stems from the idea that the course content is not simply a set of information that the instructor delivers to students, but rather the outcome of student-instructor and peer-to-peer interactions. This approach also allows students to personally engage with course material, test their knowledge and preconceptions, and open avenues for rich group discussions about issues that could otherwise be perceived as too abstract or intimidating. Promoting student engagement and accountability requires, however, providing them with the appropriate resources for learning.
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Teaching any course involves both knowledge sharing and skill building. By varying the types of assignments in my courses, I aim to expose students to various forms of writing (op-eds, policy briefs, short essays, research papers, reading responses, reviews, etc.), and encourage them to engage with their peer’s ideas (roundtables, debates, peer-to-peer evaluations) critically and constructively.
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Pictures: small and large group simulations, Aftershock (based on humanitarian response to Haiti's earthquake in 2010)
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What is Olson's problem of collective action? What is the role of elections in authoritarian regimes? Are some systems of classification of political regimes better than others? Why are post-conflict reconciliation and development so arduous? How ethical is my research project? What research design is most appropriate for my project? These are all questions that I have explored with games and simulations with students during my lectures or as a teaching assistant.
COURSE DESCRIPTION & SYLLABI
EMPIRICALÂ RESEARCH IN DEVELOPING, (POST)CONFLICT & AUTHORITARIAN CONTEXTS: ANOTHERÂ METHOD COURSE
INTD 397, McGill University
POLI 338, McGill University
This course introduces key methodological debates pertaining to the conduct of empirical research (understood broadly) in developing, conflict, post-conflict and/or authoritarian contexts. Indeed, social science research takes place in different settings, some more challenging than others. Yet, until recently, very little scholarship has unpacked the ethical, practical and methodological implications of conducting fieldwork in “difficult” contexts. How does context inform our methodological choices? How well do research standards travel from one setting to another? These are the overarching questions of this course.
The course is structured in five parts. The first introduces the ontological foundations of the “problem of context” for social science methodology and unpack how “difficult” fieldwork settings introduce specific challenges for researchers. In the second part of the course, we will explore key methodological questions raised by scholars who conduct research in developing, (post)conflict and non-democratic settings. Among these are questions about epistemology (how knowledge is acquired); concept formation and measurements (how to make valid descriptive inferences); and the data generating process (whether/how social phenomena leave traces, where to look to “observe” them and how biased are they). The third part of the course focuses on the study of a wide range of techniques for data collection, with a practical approach. This includes survey research, interviews, focus groups, ethnography, field experiments, content and discourse analyses and archival research. The fourth part of the course will focus on research ethics, notably on the protection of participants and of the researcher. The course will conclude with broader discussions on the relationship between social science and politics, and a reflexive discussion on the lessons learned throughout the semester. Please note that, in this course, we will explore the theoretical and practical aspects of research design and data collection process, rather than techniques of data analysis.
PROTESTS IN AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES
POLI 338, McGill University
The study of protests and social movements has emerged in a particular context: western industrialized democracies. However, over the past two decades, there has been an increased scholarly interest for the study of contentious politics in countries like China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Gabon, Cameroun, Niger, Uganda, Haiti, Mexico, Venezuela, etc. Indeed, thanks to a series of political developments and methodological innovation, the study of protests and social movements been expanded to include a broader range of political, economic and social contexts. How does this literature inform our understanding of protests politics? Does it confirm or challenge our main theories and concepts? These are the overarching questions of this course.
The course is structured in three parts. The first introduces key concepts and methodological challenges to the study of protests in authoritarian regimes. In the second part of the course, we will explore some of the key debates about protests emergence and dynamics.Among these are questions about the emergence of protests movements and the determinants of political participation to contentious collective action; the repertoire of collective action of protesters, notably the use of violence and non-violence; the various state response to protests; the international dimension of contentious politics; and, the organization of protests movements. The course will conclude with broader discussions about the impact protests on non-democratic politics, and a reflexive discussion on the lessons learned throughout the semester.
HUMANITARIAN CRISES AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
McGill Summer Academy
What are humanitarian crises? Why do they occur? How has the “international community” responded to armed conflict and natural disasters? Do these initiatives effectively alleviate human suffering? Is humanitarianism an appropriate response to problems in 21st century world politics? Humanitarian Crisis and International Cooperation is a noncredit course that aims to provide you with a critical outlook on the concept of humanitarian crisis, on the ideology of humanitarianism and, more concretely, on the multifaceted effects of humanitarian assistance. It also put to test your critical thinking abilities with the use of interactive teaching methods such as the simulation of a humanitarian crisis. More fundamentally, we will address enduring debates that have shaped the field of political science and world politics, such as: how does international cooperation occur? What is the impact of international law? How does one prevent the occurrence of war, genocides and massive population displacements? What are the state’s obligations towards its citizens? How do non-state actors affect international peace and security? Why does gender matter?