MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Throughout history, education has been a force of liberation, yet it has also served as a tool of indoctrination. Humans can be taught to love or to hate, to build or to destroy. For some, education opens a window onto new horizons, transforming their lives for the better. For others, it can erase, reproduce, even magnify their lived experiences of social injustices. Education is empowerment, but what that empowerment enables is contingent on how we educate. As an educator, my vision is to turn classrooms into spaces of liberation where students not only become aware of various social problems we humans face but also learn to examine them critically and develop the knowledge, skills, and agency to respond. My hope is to offer classroom experiences that nourish in students both a desire to learn, and a sense of social responsibility that extends far beyond the confines of the classroom.
With such teaching philosophy, I make the following commitments to myself and my students:
-
I strive to make knowledge accessible to all students, regardless of their prior experiences or backgrounds.
-
I strive to promote student-centered and active learning, giving students meaningful opportunities to participate in the production, rather than just the reception, of knowledge.
-
I strive to make education attuned to students’ diverse lived experiences, enabling them to connect abstract concepts and theories in the classroom to real life.
TEACHING AND MENTORING EXPERIENCE
I am proud to share that I received the TA Excellence Award from UC San Diego Department of Political Science for the academic year 2024-2025.
Note
-
Courses with (*) at the end are those for which I led discussion sections. Each section consists of roughly 35 students, and I typically teach two sections per course (except for POLI11D with Prof. Desposato, where I led one), for a total of about 70 students.
-
Below, I will also show you what my students thought of my teaching. I posted all Student Evaluation of Teaching for every single course I TA-ed for and taught at UC San Diego. I chose to be transparent, posting both positive and negative evaluations. This is because I have made a promise to all my students that I value ALL feedback they have for me - whether glowing praise or constructive criticism, and I take that promise very seriously. Much as I take pride in the encouraging words I got from students who like my teaching, the more critical comments have been invaluable, sparking the reflections that have propelled my growth as an educator.
-
For all courses labeled POLI, the most recent ones appear first.
At UC San Diego
Mentor for Research Apprenticeship Program (Department of Political Science)
GPPS400 International Relations in Asia Pacific, with Prof. Stephan Haggard (School of Global Policy and Strategy) (Master-level)
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI11D Introduction to Comparative Politics, with Prof. Scott Desposato (Department of Political Science)*
Student Evaluation of Teaching WI25
Student Evaluation of Teaching FA25
POLI11D Introduction to Comparative Politics, with Prof. Karen Ferree (Department of Political Science)*
Student Evaluation of Teaching FA24
Student Evaluation of Teaching FA22
POLI12D Introduction to International Relations, with Prof. Erik Garzke (Department of Political Science)*
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI11D Introduction to Comparative Politics, with Prof. Kaare Strom (Department of Political Science)*
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI103A California Government and Politics, with Prof. Thad Kousser (Department of Political Science)
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI160AA Introduction/Policy Analysis, with Prof. Matthew Bergman (Department of Political Science)
Student Evaluation of Teaching SP22
Student Evaluation of Teaching Summer Session
POLI142P Crisis Areas in World Politics, with Prof. Graham Timmins (Department of Political Science)
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI122D Abuse of Power, with Prof. Kaare Strom (Department of Political Science)
Student Evaluation of Teaching
POLI143 International Conflict: Cyber, Space, UAVs, with Prof. Erik Gartzke (Department of Political Science)
Student Evaluation of Teaching
At Peking University
The Rise of China and Change in World Politics, with Dr. Xu Xin (Summer School)
China In Transition 4.0, with Dr. Xu Xin (Summer School)
Women in Contemporary China, with Dr. Li Yingtao (Yenching Academy)
Critical Perspectives on Modern Sino-Foreign Relations, with Dr. Chen Li (Yenching Academy)
PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING
I am indebted to UC San Diego, Teaching + Learning Commons Engaged Teaching Hub for providing me with the following pedagogical training:
Introduction to College Teaching
Advanced College Teaching