Teaching Experience
At UC San Diego, I was the Instructor of Record for an undergraduate course on the Taiwan question and a Master’s level course on the Economic Development of East Asia.
The Taiwan Question in U.S.-China Relations (Spring 2021 (undergraduate); Winter 2022 (professional school))
The Taiwan question (also known as the Taiwan issue) is a long-standing dispute in Chinese politics and China’s foreign relations. The People’s Republic of China considers Taiwan to be a “renegade province” of China and has threatened to use military force to prevent Taiwan from becoming formally independent. The people of Taiwan, however, see themselves as living under their own democracy. Under the One-China policy, the United States considers the political status of Taiwan to be undetermined, and it has a policy of supporting Taiwan as it sees fit. The Taiwan question has been a source of growing tension between the United States and China in recent years, raising the possibility of a military conflict between the great powers. This course teaches the history and the politics of the Taiwan question, focusing on how the governments of the United States, the PRC, and Taiwan have defined their positions in this dispute.
Economic Development of East Asia (Winter 2021)
Does industrial policy work? This question is currently at the forefront of debates about the role of government in the development of emerging technologies, such as AI, 5G, quantum computing, and semiconductors. Proponents of industrial policy have pointed to East Asia for evidence of how governments have intervened in markets to promote economic development. But many scholars and policy analysts disagree on the significance of government intervention, explaining East Asia’s economic development by emphasizing the success of liberalization. This course will examine both sides of this debate. The course begins with the theory of state-led development in East Asia and proceeds with an in-depth discussion of seven cases in Northeast and Southeast Asia: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the PRC, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia. Students will examine the significance of the policy choices made by East Asian governments; the political institutions that enabled those choices; and the historical and international context that enabled those choices to succeed.
This course adopts a liberal arts approach to understanding economic development in East Asia, and a major feature of the course will be the study of expository writing in the social sciences. Without assuming any prior experience with academic research, the course will provide students with the ability to analyze and evaluate scholarly debates, and students will practice taking positions on those debates in their midterm and final assignments. Students will also have an opportunity to apply what they have learned to contemporary issues in public policy and emerging technologies.
At Princeton University, I served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses on International Relations and Comparative Politics with a focus on Asia.
International Relations of East Asia (Spring 2016)
Professor Thomas Christensen
Princeton Registrar Description
"This course will concentrate on the Cold War and post Cold War international relations of East Asia. In the first two weeks we will cover general theoretical approaches to international relations and a brief historical backdrop of Western and Japanese imperialism in the region. In the following weeks, we will discuss the interaction between changes in the broader international system and changes in international relations in the East Asian region. The course will finish with discussion of implications of events and trends since the end of the Cold War."
Rise of Asia: Political Economy of Development (Spring 2015)
Professor Atul Kohli
Princeton Registrar Description
"The economies of many Asian countries have grown rapidly over the last several decades. This course will study the political and economic pathways travelled by select Asian countries on their road to prosperity. The focus will be on three specific countries: South Korea, China and India. We will analyze comparatively the models of development pursued in these countries, especially the state's role in promoting growth and distribution."
China's Foreign Relations (Spring 2014)
Professor Thomas Christensen
"This course will review and analyze the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present. It will examine Beijing's relations with the Soviet Union, the United States, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Third World during the Cold War, and will discuss the future of Chinese foreign policy in light of the end of the Cold War, changes in the Chinese economy, the post-Tiananmen legitimacy crisis in Beijing, and the continuing rise of Chinese power and influence in Asia and beyond."