Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy centers on fostering an inclusive and intellectually stimulating classroom where all students feel empowered to engage with complex ideas. I aim to create an environment that encourages curiosity and critical thinking through open discussion, diverse perspectives, and thoughtful inquiry. To support this, I approach each course with careful organization, enthusiasm, and a commitment to creativity in both content delivery and classroom interaction. I view teaching as a shared process of exploration, where my role is to guide discussion, pose challenging questions, and support students as they refine their understanding.

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Courses Taught (Co-Instructor of Record), SOAS University of London

1. Middle East Politics
 

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the contemporary politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The MENA region as examined in this course includes the Arab countries, such as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, as well as Iran and Turkey. It brings together empirical studies of both domestic and transnational political developments in the region with critical engagement of recent political science research. Organized around a series of enduring debates, each module addresses a core question that continues to shape scholarly inquiry: What drives protest movements under authoritarian rule? Why has the MENA region remained largely authoritarian despite repeated global waves of democratization? What enables or hinders successful democratic transitions? Do monarchies have a comparative advantage in maintaining political stability? Is it possible to achieve good governance and sustained peace in ethnically divided societies? What accounts for the region’s persistent economic underdevelopment?

Students will engage with these foundational questions through the lens of empirical evidence and case studies, using cases from across the region to deepen their understanding of broader political science theories while gaining substantive regional expertise.

2. Political Violence​​

 

This course provides an overview of the causes, forms, and consequences of political violence, with a focus on both theoretical debates and empirical studies. It introduces students to a wide range of violent political phenomena—including civil war, insurgency, terrorism, state repression, and genocide—while critically engaging with recent political science research. Each module revolves around a central question that has guided scholarly inquiry in recent decades: Why do individuals and groups resort to violence to achieve political aims? Under what conditions does violence emerge in otherwise stable societies? What explains the onset, escalation, and termination of civil wars? How do rebel groups govern territory and populations? Can states use violence without undermining their own legitimacy?

 

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​​Select Student Evaluations (From serving as a Co-Instructor of Record and Teaching Assistant)

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• Narmin provided detailed feedback on exams at the request of students. Narmin offered several opportunities to meet with students outside of class to discuss course materials, discuss preparation for examinations, and discuss methods to improve exam performance. Likewise, Narmin offered opportunities for students to seek out detailed feedback and guidance. Narmin was very knowledgable and showed command of the course materials and concepts.

• Narmin supported active participation and engagement  which is always a challenging tasked during remote discussions in the morning. She developed engaging questions applying to the material while also tying in current events topics nationally and internationally

• Very knowledgable, approachable, and helpful. Narmin provided clear explanations of concepts and constructive feedback regarding examinations.

• Narmin is extremely understanding, engaging, and sociable. She always helped to support developing discussion/conversation in class and would have very interesting anecdotes or connecting thoughts to the topics that would help us better contextualize what we were learning. I really appreciated her guidance throughout this course.

• Narmin was very clear with what she wanted to see and what structure she expected for core assignments. Her guides for each assignment were extremely helpful when actually developing the submission material. I was never at a loss for what I needed to do and what topics I needed to elaborate on (and to what degree).

• Narmin gave amazing feedback on all of my essays, that helped me to improve my writing with each submission in the course.

• Very kind and helpful, and always available and accessible to help with anything students need. I could tell she genuinely cared about her students and was very grateful to her!

• I would say her ability to accommodate and be understanding of students. She has insane work ethic considering she is able to do all of this.

• Narmin was one of the best TAs I have had. She explains things very bluntly, allowing students to understand the points she is making without having students guess what she is saying -- she is a pretty straightforward TA with the proper knowledge of the course.

• Greatest strength was her ability to create a a welcoming fun and welcoming environment. She also sparked very interesting and engaging discussions amongst the students and we were able to have long class discussions over the class material. She is also extremely supportive, caring, thoughtful, and encouraging.

• Willing to help outside of class and was super helpful by offering to give feedback on essays.

• She is a comprehensive person; if a student does not understand a topic or subject from the class, the student can always send an email to the TA, and she will try to explain the topic so you can understand it.​