Teaching

I have taught multiple classes at Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Richmond. My teaching interests center on international relations, political economy, and the political economy of international migration. Please see below for links to five syllabi I created: Politics of Immigration, Introduction to International Relations, Introduction to International Political Economy, Graduate Seminar in International Relations, and Political Economy of International Migration.

Syllabi

• Politics of Immigration (Graduate)

• Introduction to International Relations (Undergraduate)

• Introduction to International Political Economy (Undergraduate)

• Graduate Seminar in International Relations (Graduate)

• Political Economy of International Migration (Undergraduate)

What students have said about my teaching

• "This is one of the most widely and immediately applicable classes I have taken. From elevating my own personal knowledge and thinking, leading to better discussions in my personal life, and preparing me to engage thoughtfully with the topic in my career, this has been a deeply relevant and applicable course." Student in Politics of Immigration, Spring 2024

• "I really appreciated the way the course combined frameworks from different fields like political science and economics...The way the course mixed theory with real-world evidence and data analysis was incredibly engaging." Student in Politics of Immigration, Spring 2024

• "An incredible instructor. One of the absolute best I've encountered at the Bush School. I feel deeply lucky to have taken this class before graduating." Student in Politics of Immigration, Spring 2024

• "This was by far one of my more difficult courses this semester, but Professor Helms was kind, patient, and understanding through it all. He explained materials extremely well and gave a lot of helpful feedback on the exams/papers. You could tell Professor Helms wanted to be there and help students gain understanding in international affairs." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Spring 2024

• "Dr. Helms was helpful in office hours and always went out of his way to assist students. He does a phenomenal job at continuing the learning process both in and outside of the classroom." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Spring 2024

• "Dr. Helms is hands down the best professor I have had at Texas A&M in terms of teaching ability. His slides were always extremely well-prepared, his lectures informative, and his explanations helpful. I believe he is the ideal professor for an introductory course on international affairs." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Spring 2024

• "Glad to have Professor Helms at TAMU. This course helped me pursue topics that I never thought were accessible and I am grateful for the patience he has had to teach me what he could with his time. Highly recommended course." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Fall 2023

• "Prof. Helms is an extremely organized individual with a lot of passion for his subject. He is hands down the professor that I am most comfortable recommending to anyone who is even remotely interested in international affairs." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Fall 2023

• "Professor Helms, always gave very clear feedback on assignments, which was very beneficial. The feedback for essays and short answer questions helped give me constructive feedback that I will be able to benefit from in the future." Student in Principles of International Affairs, Fall 2023

• "This has been one of the best courses I've taken at CMU. Had an opportunity to learn so much about migration and been able to learn to apply the intricacies of migration while studying any issue...Professor Helms has been super helpful and very accommodative with all our questions about the course, assignments and questions beyond the scope of the course. Happy to not have missed this course." Student in Political Economy of International Migration, Spring 2023

• "I had an incredibly fun and rewarding time in this class. The content blended the perfect amount of theory, research, and current and past events...I really appreciate how sometimes when I am struggling to portray something he rephrases it in a clear way. I also really enjoyed the discussion style of class when we would discuss readings and the topic in question." Student in Political Economy of International Migration, Spring 2023

• "Professor Helms is a uniquely gifted teacher. In addition to being knowledgeable about the subject, he has a passion for it that leaks into everything he does. However, he combines this with an immense respect for and appreciation of his students...In addition, the assignments and the readings were associated with explicit learning objectives, and in his lectures in class, Helms emphasized the context, importance, and interrelation of the readings and our topics. Some professors never do this, and leave us wondering what the actual relevance of some of the readings were. With Helms, I feel like I actually got a grounding in the migration literature. I only wish I could take this class with him again." Student in Political Economy of International Migration, Spring 2023

• "I truly appreciated the professor's detailed feedback and support throughout the course! I definitely felt he was very understanding and supportive even when I struggled to understand some of the material." Student in Graduate IR Seminar, Fall 2022

• "I greatly appreciated the professor's approach to teaching IR from a puzzle/issue-based approach rather than from a traditional "big 3" theory-based approach -- this allowed me to explore new areas of the literature I had not previously read...Overall, I would rank this course among the best I have taken at CMU." Student in Graduate IR Seminar, Fall 2022