Teaching
I am passionate about teaching. My goal is to provide students with a set of concepts and tools to make sense of the world of politics. I aim to do so by engaging them actively in the process of learning and by encouraging them to apply what they’ve learned to new scenarios.
I am interested in teaching a variety of courses in political theory, Canadian politics, and public policy. I have designed and taught several undergraduate courses at both Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia (UBC). These courses regularly span theory and practice. Where possible, I design assignments that allow me to mentor students as they work on a topic of interest over the course of the semester, with structured opportunities for feedback along the way. Some sample syllabi are available below.
McKay_Introduction to PT Syllabus.pdfIntroduction to Political Theory
Democratic Theory Syllabus_2023.pdfDemocratic Theory
Political Theory of Work Syllabus_2023.pdfWork and Labour in Political Theory
POLI348A_2023_Syllabus_draft.pdfBureaucracy and Public Service in Political Theory
I also have considerable experience in designing experiential learning activities. For several years, I was a facilitator for the Institute for Future Legislators (IFL) at UBC and I've contributed to the planning and execution of the IFL Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. I was also previously the coordinator of the Teaching Assistant Training program for the Department of Political Science at UBC.