My teaching approaches history as an encounter with unfamiliar worlds. My objective is not simply for students to accumulate knowledge about the past, but to develop the historical thinking necessary to make sense of the world they inhabit. I encourage students to question inherited narratives, engage competing perspectives, and recognize how seemingly peripheral histories illuminate broader transformations. Drawing on primary sources, maps, documentary films, and simulations, I challenge students to move beyond conventional national and regional boundaries, evaluate evidence critically, and construct arguments of their own.
Central to my teaching philosophy is the conviction that unlearning can be as crucial as learning. I encourage students to make their assumptions visible, test them against evidence, and revise them when necessary. I regard mentoring as an integral part of teaching, fostering intellectual curiosity, independent judgment, and confidence in students' ability to develop original ideas. Ultimately, I see teaching history as an invitation to question what appears self-evident, take unfamiliar perspectives seriously, and recognize that understanding the past can transform how we engage with the present.
Courses Taught
NORWICH UNIVERSITY
The U.S. in the Middle East (Scheduled for Spring 2027)
This course examines the history of American engagement with the Middle East from the nineteenth century to the present, tracing its evolution from missionary, commercial, and diplomatic encounters through Wilsonian internationalism, the Cold War, oil politics, and the War on Terror. It explores how American power and regional political transformations have shaped the modern Middle East and the United States’ evolving place in the world.
Introduction to International Studies
An introductory course that examines the political, economic, and social dimensions of global processes and regional dynamics while developing students’ analytical skills through comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives.
History of the Middle East
This course offers a comprehensive survey of Middle Eastern history from ancient civilizations to the present, exploring the rise of major religions, empires, and modern political movements that continue to shape the region today.
Political Islam
A capstone-level course examining modern political Islam through its intellectual foundations, ideological transformations, and global manifestations, culminating in an original research project on key thinkers, movements, or conflicts.
Israel & Palestine
This course examines the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through a global and historical lens, tracing how empire, religion, nationalism, colonialism, and competing narratives have shaped one of the modern world’s most enduring struggles.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Armenians and the Modern World
A global history of modern Armenians that traces their experiences across empires, nation-states, and diasporas, examining key events such as revolution, genocide, state formation, and contemporary geopolitical conflicts through interdisciplinary and primary source-driven analysis.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR
Nations and Nationalism
An interdisciplinary course on the history and theory of nations and nationalism, examining their emergence, evolution, and global variations through comparative case studies and key debates in the humanities and social sciences.
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Islam and Modern Politics (Assistant Instructor)
A comprehensive introduction to modern political Islam that examines its key concepts, ideological transformations, and global expressions, with a focus on debates over state, authority, democracy, and jihad across diverse regional contexts.
Sample syllabi available upon request.
