Teaching

Abu Rizvi strives to teach students in a research-informed way that is aimed at deep, lasting understanding rather than quick coverage or rote recall. He teaches courses on making change democratically, markets and democracy, justice and economics, and principles of economics. He has taught a course on educational practices for democratic engagement at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. At the University of Vermont, he taught seminars on ethics and ways of knowing and courses on welfare and well-being, game theory, microeconomics, and statistical methods.

He also advises students undertaking independent and honors research projects. These have included:

• Antonio Arena, honors thesis (Economics and Government & Law), “The Differential Effects of U.S. and Chinese Foreign Aid on Democracy in Southeast Asia,” May 2025. Co-supervised with Prof. Seo-Hyun Park.
• Joseph Sanz, honors thesis (Government & Law), “The Erosion of Trust in Democracy: The Ethos of Trust and Distrust Present in Populist and GOP Rhetoric from 1950 to 2020.” May 2024. Secondary reader.
• EXCEL or Bergh Scholars funded at Lafayette: behavior of low-income voters (Moira Humphrey, Frank McAndrew); educational practices for democratic participation (Moira Humphrey, Campbell Craig); state variation in mandatory arbitration practices (Libby Ross).