TEACHING
I have accumulated most of my teaching experience at Loughborough University (UK) and Maastricht University (UM). My teaching interest lies within the area of European Studies and International Relations hence my portfolio includes courses in International Relations and European Studies at BA, MA and Research Master level. I have an extensive experience in course development and coordination as well as thesis supervision.
Teaching philosophy
I see my role as a facilitator in the educational process. I strongly believe in the co-creation of knowledge. In my experience as a coordinator of courses, I like to give students ownership over learning objectives: I help them draw ideas from their existing knowledge and experience and I fostered idea-sharing and cooperation on identifying solutions during their written assignments.
When I am teaching my objective is to help students become critical thinkers, active learners and problem-solvers. In my courses I am committed to fostering a dialogue, which is fundamental for collective learning. In my classrooms I encourage critical thinking and opinion-sharing so that students can exchange ideas with their peers and understand the subject much better.
Throughout my teaching I also believe in the interdisciplinarity and practicality of courses. For instance, in designing the content for my courses I relate the readings and assignments from both disciplines – International Relations and European Studies. I make sure that my course uses the theoretical knowledge already gained by students together with their research interest regarding the taught subject. Thus, students could position their research puzzles in the broader academic debates. To give the course a practical application I also rely on my personal network of contacts and invite guest speakers (practitioners) to deliver a lecture, a short talk and engage with my students.
Teaching portfolio
Starting with 2015 I have been involved in teaching, designing, and coordinating over 13 different courses in International Relations, European Studies and Methodology & Skills.
Find below a selection of courses from my portfolio:
Diplomacy, Negotiations and Lobby (MSc): the aim of this course is to familiarise students with the professions of diplomacy, negotiation and lobbying by combining scholarly analysis with interactive learning opportunities. Through weekly discussions of the module material, critical engagement with the latest news and case studies, and encounters with guest speakers (practitioners), students acquire knowledge about the practice of the three professions.
International Relations (Bachelor year 2): the course’s main rationale is to provide with an introduction to the main issues, actors and processes in IR today. Through weekly discussions of course material and critical engagement with latest news, students accumulate knowledge and learn how to ‘read’ events and analyse them through different theoretical/conceptual lenses.
EU External Relations (Bachelor year 3): this course offers an introduction into the nature of EU external relations, the actors, instruments, and the interaction with the wider international context. Students learn to apply this knowledge through class debates that bring theory and current political processes together.
EU Public Policy (Bachelor year 2): through an in-depth case study of a particular EU policy and its legal instrument, this course gives students a comprehensive insight into the study of EU policy-making from both a historical and contemporary perspective. I teach the European Neighbourhood Policy and EU foreign policy as EU policy domains.
EU Politics (Bachelor year 1): in this course students acquire a basic understanding of the EU and train their academic thinking about the European integration, the EU institutional framework and current challenges. The course covers the period from the European integration process in the late 1990s, through major changes from the Maastricht Treaty and subsequent treaty revisions to the Lisbon Treaty.
Interviewing skills (MSc): this four-week intensive skills training course is organised around students conducting one/two academic interviews. The seminars and assignments allow students to improve their interview skills and to better understand how the method of qualitative interviewing can be used.
Negotiation skills (Bachelor year 2): this eight-week intensive skills training course is organized around three simulation games, which allow students to improve their negotiation skills and to better understand the practicalities of decision-making processes in Brussels.
Analysing Research Design (Bachelor year 1): in this course students train their ability to identify the steps involved in the development of a research design and acquire the first set of skills they need to write their Bachelor Thesis.
I offer academic guidance and advice to undergraduate/bachelor and postgraduate/master-level students on thesis with topics in the International Relations and European Studies discipline. I am particularly interested in case-studies on the Eastern Partnership countries, diplomacy of the European Union, democratization, and performance evaluation.