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Matthew Charles Wilson
Associate Professor of Political Science
University of South Carolina

Image: Nice, France (2010)

My teaching philosophy emphasizes looking ''under the hood'' in scholarship and developing practical, critical inquiry
in the classroom. As an educator, the skills that I consider the most important to convey to students include understanding foundational concepts in the discipline and using them as a platform to construct novel, testable questions. The strategies by which I have encouraged foundational learning involve exposing students to dense material and demonstrating its real-world significance. By encouraging students in my class to combine existing arguments and refine their own, I have been able to help students identify avenues for research and encourage them on their own research agendas. At the same time, teaching has helped to reinforce my personal research interests and helped me to improve as a scholar. My perspective has been shaped by the effective teaching styles of professors who were both patient and firm, and it is driven by my personal passion for making research more accessible and transparent. I try to show the same concern for learning that my professors have shown me. As a result of working with students on difficult material and showing them the practical applications, students learn to how ask—
and then answer—meaningful questions.

Syllabi

Fall 2015
      Dictatorship and Democratization (UG)
      Introduction to Comparative Politics (G)

Fall 2016
       Introduction to Comparative Politics (UG)
       Advanced Quantitative Analysis (G)

Fall 2019
       American National Government (UG)
       Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (G)

Fall 2020
       American National Government (UG)

Fall 2021
       American National Government (UG)

Fall 2022
       American National Government (UG)

Spring 2016
      Governments of Latin America (UG)

Spring 2017
       Dictatorship and Democratization (UG)
       Dictatorship and Democracy (G)

Spring 2019
       Politics of Latin America (UG)
       Dictatorship and Democratization (G)

Spring 2020
       Introduction to Global Politics (UG)
       Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (G)

Spring 2021
       Introduction to Global Politics (UG)
       Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (G)

Spring 2022
       Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (G)
       Dictatorship and Democratization (G)

Spring 2023
       Dictatorship and Democratization (UG)
       Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (G)

Teaching Interests

Comparative Politics:
Democratization and Authoritarianism
Comparative Political Institutions
Latin American Politics

International Relations:
Civil Conflict

Political Methodology:
Research Design and Methods
Linear Regression
Maximum Likelihood Estimation

Test