Johannes Scherzinger

Teaching

I have taught a variety of courses in political science and international relations. My goal as a teacher is to enable students to critically examine theoretical and methodological concepts, whilst drawing connections to real-world problems. In addition, I want students who do not stay in academia to be “job-ready,” which involves the development of a series of hard and soft skills (such as “being a good team-member”, “being able to defend arguments well”, “being a good listener”, presentation skills, and statistical as well as text-as-data knowledge).

To that end, I design seminars and lectures with interactive elements, such as debate motions, negotiation exercises, Security Council simulations, and ‘Questions from the Chat’ that are partly inspired by problem-based learning. My students have been accepted in M.A. and Ph.D. programs such as the EUI, Science Po Paris, Graduate Institute Geneva, or Oxford University. Students who left academia are working for the UNO, UNDP, or Deloitte, among others.

Please find a selection of my courses and their student evaluations below.

The UN Security Council in the 21st Century

The Legitimacy of International Organisations: Comparing Mandates, Procedures, and, Effectiveness

Theories of Legitimacy and Authority in IR

Introduction to International Politics (Lecture)