POLICY in PRACTICE
How do you approach your current courses?
A large percentage of students take Introduction to Economics at some point during their time at Swarthmore. It’s of course meant to prepare students for further work in economics, but we also want students who never end up taking any more economics to have a meaningful experience where they learn something that they carry forward in their lives. In the past few years, I’ve reworked my section of Introduction to Economics to use active learning, which has been fun. I’m currently also co-teaching Introduction to Environmental Studies with [Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies] Jennifer Pfluger. That’s an interdisciplinary class designed to expose students to the array of issues, tools, and perspectives that fit under the environmental studies umbrella. We want them to leave with a deep understanding of the science, policy, history and human experience of key issues like climate change, for example, no matter their background.
How did you arrive at the emphasis on active learning?
That switch was really prompted by COVID-19. I’d always been interested in active learning, and found that lecturing over Zoom is just the absolute worst, for everybody — so I switched things up. I made slides and recorded my lectures, and used class time for hands-on, interactive problem solving. So instead of students listening to me during class and then struggling alone later with problem sets, they come in having watched or read the material. Then in class, they work on applying it. They do this in small groups, with me, with classmates, and with student mentors. It builds community and keeps them on track. I think of it like learning tennis — you wouldn’t just sit there listening to your instructor for an hour and then go off to try it on your own. The in-person experience is all about feedback and practice.
How do current events, like turbulence in politics or the economy, get incorporated into the classroom?
Students are definitely interested in the political environment, which can drive some of the focus and the framing. However, we’re looking at questions like what makes good environmental policy, and what the evidence says about economic growth. These fundamentals don’t change depending on what the government is up to. That said, I did have to do an emergency class on tariffs in early April. That topic had kind of fallen out of the rotation, and then boom — it’s back.
What is your research focus?
Much of my focus is on labor issues in the Middle East. Lately I’ve been working on women’s labor force participation and women’s employment in Saudi Arabia, which has grown rapidly in recent years. Swarthmore has been a wonderful home base for my research, whether I’m working on campus or zipping out for a research trip; in October, I was able to visit Riyadh for a week over fall break. The support we get from the College for our research is so important. And that’s on top of it being a wonderful place to work, with such deeply engaged students and thoughtful and committed colleagues and students.