“It was evident that John earnestly wanted to help us and cared about improving our research process. … He was sympathetic, compassionate, considerate, and gave great advice.”
My courses seek to use empirical content from concrete cases as conduits to teach students about research design and basic game theory. Political science offers students powerful analytical tools to break down complex social processes into simpler parts, design interventions that might generate more optimal outcomes, and assess whether the intervention has had the desired effect.
These analytical tools are useful in a broad range of careers and everyday situations, yet they often hide behind the substantive material we teach, quietly powering our reasoning outside the sight of our students. My course designs encourage my students to see civil conflict and development politics as playgrounds in which they can practice and exercise new skills that function outside the classroom the academy.
For an example of how my syllabi place the science in front of the politics, click here.
“Professor Porten is incredibly interested in what he teaches, makes every single lecture entertaining, and makes you want not to miss any class. I will miss having him as a professor. Definitely my favorite.”
Teaching Experience
As Instructor of Record
Introduction to Political Science (POLI101) (Mesa College, San Diego)
Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI103) (Mesa College, San Diego)
Introduction to International Relations (POL 12D) (UC – San Diego)
Contention and Conflict in Africa (POL 120N)(UC – San Diego)
Violence and Political Development in Latin America (POL 134D)(UC – San Diego)
International Political Economy (POL 144) (UC – San Diego)
International Politics and Drugs (POL 145A) (UC – San Diego)
The Political Economy of Non-State Violence (POL244) (Marquette University, Milwaukee)
“Professor Porten is my favorite teacher that I have ever had. This is the first class that I actually grasped the scientific method as it pertains to the social sciences.“
As Teaching Assistant
Introduction to International Relations (POL 12D)(UC – San Diego, with Phil Roeder)
Introduction to Comparative Politics (POL 11)(UC – San Diego, with Kaare Strom)
Contention and Conflict in Africa (POL 120N)(UC – San Diego, with Claire Adida)
Master’s Degree Capstone Seminar in Public Policy (GPS 483)(UC – San Diego, with Jesse Driscoll)
“Best TA I’ve ever had by a long shot. Excelled in every aspect of teaching a class to students. Actually made us think and interact; engages critical thinking on a larger scale, beyond the classroom.”
A full record of student feedback is available upon request.
johnporten.com 