Teaching

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching

I love teaching. Being in the classroom with bright and curious students is one of the great pleasures of a career in academia. I regularly contribute lectures to team taught, entry level modules in International Relations at undergraduate level. Below is a list of my current Honours level modules for the MA(Hons) IR degree programme and postgraduate modules that I offer for the MLitt in International Political Theory. If you are an educator and would like to see the syllabus for any of these modules, please feel free to get in touch with me via the Contact Me page.

IR3204 Migration and Global Politics: Ethics, Politics and Practice – Third Year UG

We live, we are told, in an increasingly mobile world, and yet the ability to move is experienced differentially: not everyone has the same access to ‘movement’ or experiences such movement in the same way. This module explores the relationship between political thought and the complex phenomenon of migration.

The first half of the module focuses on understanding how migration has been conceptualised in Political Theory and the kinds of debates that have characterised political theorising about migration, particularly within the tradition of normative political thought. The second half of the module shifts to examining the impact that migration has on understandings of other core concepts/practices in political theory, including borders, rights, justice, security, and citizenship.

IR4565 Contemporary Political Theory: From Revolution to Recognition – Fourth Year UG

This module explores the political and social thought of the twentieth century – a century of turmoil and paradox – and early twenty-first century. Rather than the stereotype image of ivory-tower intellectuals unconnected to ‘the real world’, the thinkers examined in this module were (and are) thoroughly immersed in the unfolding of some of the twentieth century’s formative events – from the rise of Communism, to war, occupation and genocide, decolonisation, and the civil rights movement – and their work is dedicated to understanding these events and addressing the concrete political problems that these events revealed or created.

Aiming to bridge the ‘theory-practice’ divide, the module examines how these thinkers grappled with power, class, race, gender, and culture, and in doing so contested the orthodoxies of politics and political theory and have provided inspiration and critical tools for political action moving forward. The module proceeds chronologically, beginning with turn-of-the-century thinkers and events and progressing through key events and movements of the twentieth century to focus, in the final few weeks, on the work of political thinkers who are currently active (in every sense of the word).

IR5402 Analysis and Interpretation in International Political Theory – MLitt (Core)

Students of (international) political theory grapple with meanings in texts, practices, movements and institutions from the local to the global. They aim to recover, understand, interpret, and explain political meanings and beliefs, whether these are located in the past or present or indeed articulate conceptions of futurity, and to examine the philosophical foundations or theoretical premises associated with political action.

This module introduces students to a variety of interpretive approaches that can be taken in the study of (International) Political Theory. It surveys a range of approaches to critical analysis, each examined through the work of prominent representatives, and considers questions regarding the conceptual, historical, and normative interpretation of political theory texts, political ideas and the study of politics. The aim of the module is to allow students to engage rigorously and extensively with theoretical questions and textual practices within the field of (International) Political Theory.

IR5046 Migration and Political Theory – MLitt (Option)

This module is a Masters level version of IR3204 (above). The module content is the same, but the assessments are different.

Advice for Prospective PhD Students

I am available to supervise particularly promising PhD candidates who want to do research on migration, political theory, and/or border controls. If you are considering an application to work with me, here are some tips to bear in mind:

1. Choose the Right Supervisor
   Choosing the right supervisor is infinitely more important than choosing a ‘top programme’. If there is not a very clear and obvious fit between my expertise and your proposed project then I will not agree to supervise. If you are familiar with the relevant literature on the topic you want to research, it should be relatively simple to identify potential supervisors. You can then contact them – as early as possible in the application cycle (for application cycle dates, you can check the prospective research students page of the department you are interested in – to ask if they are accepting applications.
   
2. Devote time to your application
   A PhD is a significant project that will occupy the next four years of your life full time. While the project will, of course, develop over the course of the PhD programme, you do need to propose a project that has the potential to advance our collective knowledge. It takes time to develop a competitive and compelling research proposal for the PhD application, particularly if you plan, or need, to apply for funding. The earlier you can begin a conversation with a potential supervisor the more likely they might have time to work with you on developing the proposal.
   
3. Funding
   Funding, particularly in the UK, is extremely competitive and the chances of securing it are quite small. This means you really need to have excelled in your undergraduate and masters programmes, or distinguished yourself somehow in your career (if you are returning to academia). Funding applications also take significant time to put together competitively. This is another reason why you should begin researching programmes and funding sources as early as possible. UK universities all have dedicated pages on their websites which list potential sources of funding for PhD students, so you should always check those to see if there are any you may be eligible for. These pages will also tell you what the deadlines for the funding application are and if there are any earlier admissions deadlines that you need to meet in order to be considered for that funding. Beginning your application as early as possible in the cycle is also important for a potential supervisor: they might be required to write a statement of support for your funding application. We are extremely busy people and rarely have the time to write these letters at short notice.
   
4. GenAI
   I will not agree to supervise anyone who uses GenAI to develop their research proposal. Supervision sessions during the PhD are in-person and discussion based and I do not permit the use of laptops in those sessions. This is because I need to be confident that my supervises can engage with, discuss, and think critically about ideas and literature without the intermediary of AI. While I make reasonable disability-related adjustments, these do not include the use of GenAI.