General Advising and Scheduling Meetings
We can talk about courses, research, jobs, or whatever else is on your mind. You don’t have to be a current student to stop by, but please request a meeting on Google Calender if you’d like to meet outside of office hours.
Internships and Professional Development
I am particularly interested in chatting with you about internship opportunities and professional development. Some students are able to receive financial compensation or course credit through the College, so speak with Prof. Fabian or me if you’re interested in those options. I also strongly encourage you to check out the Traverse Job listing made available by the Department of Government & Law if you are interested in political work in the D.C. area.
Honors Theses and Independent Studies
I typically serve as chair and primary advisor on two Government & Law honors theses projects per academic year. That said, I regularly serve as secondary or outside reader on many more theses.
In general, research I advise has [1] a quantitative social science component and [2] a detailed discussion of causal inference. As a general rule, I recommend that students choose a research question important to them, read broadly on the subject, and plan to tackle a relatively simple empirical test. Students that have taken Political Analysis and/or prior research experience with me (e.g., EXCEL or Gov Lab) will be given preference if several students wish to do a thesis/study.
Independent studies provide a tremendous alternative to the honors thesis. Please let me know if you’re interested in a semester-long research project not available in our standard course offerings.
Finally, please remember that it’s really hard to conduct research! Be patient with yourself and come speak with me if you’re ever feeling anxious about your progress or the quality of your work.
If you think you’d like to work with me on a thesis, your next step should be reading this more detailed guide.