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.
My classes regularly span both theory and practice. I am interested in teaching a variety of courses in political theory. 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. Sample syllabi are below.
McKay_Introduction-to-PT-Syllabus.pdfIntroduction to Political Theory
McKay_Democratic-Theory-Syllabus-2022.pdfDemocratic Theory
Political-Theory-of-Work-Syllabus_2022_updated.pdfWork and Labour in Political Theory
POLS-394-Syllabus-2022_web.pdfPublic Service, Bureaucracy, and the Administrative State
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.