Teaching

Teaching is an important part of my academic work. Over the years, I have taught more than 50 courses for over 1,500 students, primarily at the University of Salzburg and TU Dresden. My teaching focuses on EU politics, EU external action, International Relations (IR), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and climate governance. I teach at both BA and MA levels, in German and English. My teaching has consistently received positive student evaluations.

50+

Courses

1,500+

Students

BA + MA

Levels

DE + EN

Languages

EU Politics EU External Action IR & IGOs Climate Governance

Teaching approach

I aim to combine analytical rigor with active and applied learning. Simulations, negotiation exercises, empirical examples, and contemporary political debates help students connect abstract theories and concepts to the political processes they are intended to explain. Where useful, I experiment with new digital and computational approaches to teaching. At the same time, I value traditional virtues such as careful reading, clear argumentation, open discussion, and independent writing.

Selected teaching areas

EU Politics

A recurring focus of my teaching is the political system of the European Union, including its institutions, decision-making processes, integration theories, and multi-level governance. I have taught these subjects regularly at both BA and MA levels and in German and English.

EU External Action

I have regularly taught a full-semester negotiation simulation (Planspiel) on EU External Action, in which students simulate negotiations in the Foreign Affairs Council. Earlier courses have used negotiation simulations to help students understand varying state preferences in EU development policy, trade negotiations, and enlargement.

International Relations and IGOs

I have taught numerous courses on IR theory, international organizations, the institutional design and actorness of intergovernmental organizations, and related questions of global governance.

Climate Governance

I have taught MA seminars on climate governance, bringing together students from different programs to study its multi-level nature. We move from the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to EU instruments such as the Emissions Trading System and Effort Sharing Regulation, and then examine implementation at national, regional, and local levels. The course is part of the MA in Transdisciplinary Studies of Climate, Environment and Energy (TRACEE).

Thesis supervision

To date, I have supervised over 10 BA and over 20 MA theses. The projects span topics including European integration, EU external relations, intergovernmental organizations, trade policy, multi-level governance, and climate policy. If you study at the University of Salzburg and are interested in writing a thesis with me, please email me.