Teaching
My own unique educational journey and experiences teaching diverse audiences underpin my teaching philosophy. As a Faculty Lecturer at UC Davis, I have taught multifarious classes ranging from core substantive political science courses such as Comparative Institutions and American Politics to technical courses on research methods and programming in R. My educational outlook prepared me to be an exceptional teacher, mentor, and researcher because I view each class, challenging situation, and instructional moment as an opportunity to share my love of learning and as an opportunity to further my own education.
The quantitative and qualitative evidence presented below demonstrates my record of success in teaching. My quantitative evaluations vastly exceed department averages, as noted below for instances where department averages are available. My qualitative evaluations are overwhelmingly positive comments left by students as reflected by the selection provided below.
Additionally, when the UC Davis political science department began running its own TA orientation and training for incoming graduate students, Professor Boydstun selected me to serve on the planning committee and instruct incoming graduate students on teaching strategy. I was responsible for crafting the orientation and training program that provided incoming graduate students with a foundation for success in teaching. As part of this role, I served as the primary graduate student instructor for the orientation and training program.
Below is a summary of my teaching experience. If you'd like to learn more about my philosophy of instruction please see my teaching statement linked below.
Courses
POL 140: Comparative Legislatures
Examination of legislatures from a comparative perspective. This course provides an in-depth analysis of the legislative branches of government in various countries around the world. Through a comparative lens, we will examine the structure, function, and dynamics of these unique institutions in different political systems. Students examine the differences between parliamentary legislatures and the U.S. Congress, as well as the role of legislature in non-democratic regimes. The course aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of various legislative processes, their role in shaping public policy, and the interactions between the legislative and executive branches in multiple systems.
POL 174: Govt & the Economy
Themes explored in this course include the historical development of economic policy, the evolution of the US welfare state, and the recent shift back towards interventionism by the Biden administration as well as the politics of income and wealth redistribution in the US. Students examine historical trends and the government's role in reducing inequality. The course also explore the impact of economic wellbeing on political behavior and policy preferences. By the end of this course, students should have a greater understanding of the role governments play in the economy and a more informed understanding of contemporary policy debates.
POL 162: Public Opinion
This course is about the nature, consequences, and study of public opinion. What is the public, how do we measure its’ opinions, where do individual attitudes come from, how do we aggregate them, how are attitudes translated into elections and policy? Students examine the literature on these questions and cover the basic research strategies used to address them.
POL 001 American Government
Introductory class for first year undergraduates that provides a survey of American national government, including the constitutional system, political culture, parties, elections, the presidency, Congress, and the courts. POL 1 is taught as a large lecture class with more than 200 students with at least 4 teaching assistants.
POL 104 CA State Government
This course covers the ins and outs of the California political system. Political culture, constitution, elections and parties, direct democracy, legislature, governor, executive branch, courts, finances, state-local relations and policy issues. Instruction is focused on the development of state level institutions and contemporary issues in California state politics.
POL 02: Comparative Politics
Introductory class for first year undergraduates that provides an introduction to basic concepts in political analysis and application of them in comparative studies of selected countries. Coverage is given to cultural and other informal dimensions of politics as well as to more formal political and governmental structures. POL 2 is taught as a large lecture class with more than 200 students with at least 4 teaching assistants.
POL 105: The Legislative Process
Pol 105 is about the U.S. Congress, the world’s most powerful legislative body and the center of American democracy. Topics covered will include elections, legislative procedure, the committee system, the role of parties, and the health of our political system. By the end of this course, students should have a deeper understanding of each of these concepts and be able to apply them to current congressional politics.
Faculty Lecturer, The University of California, Davis
Spring Quarter 2023 POL 140: Comparative Legislatures
POL 174: Govt & the Economy
Summer Session 2023 POL 162: Public Opinion
POL 105: The Legislative Process
Fall Quarter 2023 POL 001 American Government
POL 105: The Legislative Process
Winter Quarter 2023 POL 104 CA State Government
POL 164 Public Opinion
Spring Quarter 2024 POL 02: Comparative Politics
POL 140: Comparative Legislatures
As a faculty lecturer I teach large lecture classes with as many as 250 students alongside 4 teaching assistants from the Davis graduate program.
Associate Instructor, The University of California, Davis
Sole instructor of Record
Spring Quarter 2021
Summer Session 1 2021
Winter Quarter 2022
Winter Quarter 2023
POL 105: The Legislative Process
POL 105: The Legislative Process
POL 105: The Legislative Process
POL 02: Comparative Politics
An associate instructor at UC Davis fully in charge of designing and teaching a course.
Section Instructor, The University of California, Davis
Fall Quarter 2022 POL 02: Comparative Politics
Spring Quarter 2022 POL 051: Scientific Study of Politics
Winter Quarter 2021 POL 01: American Government
Fall Quarter 2020 POL 051: Scientific Study of Politics
Summer Session 1 2020 POL 051: Scientific Study of Politics
Section instructors teach twice weekly hour long sessions that focus on core concepts and skills relevant to the course. For pol 51 this means teaching 60 students how to code in R.
Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness
The quantitative and qualitative evidence presented below demonstrates my record of success in teaching. My quantitative evaluations vastly exceed department averages, as noted below for instances where department averages are available. My qualitative evaluations are overwhelmingly positive comments left by students as reflected by the selection provided below.
Quantitative: Numerical Teaching Evaluations
Instructor
The forthcoming descriptive summary of evaluations are from courses where I was sole instructor of record.
Course Perceptions: “Please indicate the overall education value of the course from (1) poor to (5) excellent.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.5/5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (67/106)
Teaching effectiveness ratings are on the following five-point scale: (1) poor, (2) fair, (3) good, (4) very good, to (5) excellent. Summary teaching instruction ratings can be found below.
1. “Please indicate the overall teaching effectiveness of the instructor.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.6 /5
• Weighted department average: 4.1/5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (75/106)
2. “Please indicate instructor’s knowledge and command of subject matter.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.8 /5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (88 /106)
3. “Please indicate instructor’s openness to discussion and ability to stimulate it.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.8/5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (89/106)
4. “Please indicate instructor’s availability for consultation.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.8/5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (85/106)
5. “Please indicate effectiveness of style & methods of class presentations.”
• Overall weighted course evaluation average (𝑁 = 106): 4.6/5
• Overall Summary Mode: 5 (74/106)
Qualitative: Quotes from Teaching Evaluations
“Great teacher overall, information was taught well and I liked the material of the class beforehand and I felt like I learned a lot coming out of the class”
“The professor knew so much about the subject matter that at times he seemed overloaded with things to tell us. He's somebody that clearly loved the subject and could talk about it for hours. That made attending his class enjoyable”
“Amazing instructor! Made lectures interesting and engaging, fostered discussion and questions among the class, and overall taught the material in an accessible and thought-provoking way”
“very helpful throughout this course by always providing good examples in and outside of Congress for us to understand the material and laws/policies in different ways.”
“The professor had constant discussions in his class, and the debates he held were a fun way of making sure we understood the basic concepts enough to be able to make and defend a well-reasoned argument”
“I now understand Median Voter Theory thanks to Spencer's King Kong vs. Godzilla example. I believe this can be classified as edutainment. :)”
“Spencer teaches in a way that is accessible for all students. I always felt comfortable asking questions and felt that he explained pretty complex concepts in a way that we could all understand. I know I am not the only student that felt this way as there was always a handful of us that hung out virtually after live Zoom lectures to just chat with him and each other.” Student from POL 105: The Legislative Process, UC Davis was fully remote at the time.
“So passionate about his job and you can tell that he truly cares about his students. He is by far, one of the best professors I've had at UC Davis and the Political Science program is lucky to have him.”
“POL 105 became my favorite political science course to-date because we had regular class discussions/debate about relevant policies. It made me very engaged with the material.”
“His organization throughout the quarter was spot-on, and when there were changes or errors he always communicated quickly and accommodatively.”
“Spencer was one of the better TAs I've had at Davis. He knew what he was teaching and was always open to helping students.”
“Clearly understands R Studio inside and out.”
“Responsive to emails and canvas messaging”