Teaching as Service, Learning through Practice
I teach across classrooms and communities in Pakistan, Italy, the United States, and China. Grounded in law and geography, my pedagogy is shaped by participatory research, open data, computational social science and a commitment to action-centered engagement.
University Teaching
- Instructor of Global Sustainability at West Virginia University
- Lead Workshops in Italy for professionals
- Courses spanning law, geography, and development studies
Community-Based Teaching
- Critical GIS course
- React–Python tools for civic accountability and public data
- QGIS training for activists and grassroots organizers in Pakistan
Open-Data
Gamification
Counter-Mapping
Storytelling
Community Workshop
Civic Monitoring
Participatory Action Research
I embed Participatory Action Research (PAR) across my teaching, research, and service—from field-based GIS workshops in Pakistan, to NGOs-developed apps for monitoring public infrastructure. PAR frames how I approach learning as collective, situated, and collaborative practice.
Community-led Teaching
Community members collaborate from day one in curriculum design and needs assessment.
Cycles of Action & Reflection
Iterative process of implementation, reflection, and revision prioritizing learning over outcomes.
Mutual Accountability
Community-led evaluationand checking-in ensuring that teaching is appropriate and effective.
Accompaniment
Sustained, respectful presence with communities prioritizing listening and learning from over intervention.
Courses & Teaching Areas
Global Sustainability
West Virginia University, USA
Enrollment:
• Spring 2025: 52 students Fall 2024: 39 students Fall 2023: 34 students
Syllabus Highlights:
Explore global sustainability through a world-regional lens
Analyze challenges via environmental, economic, political, and human geography perspectives
Assignments include social media analysis, group presentations, and weekly discussions
Critical GIS
Pakistan
Enrollment:
• 35 students across 6 NGOs, weekly meetings
Syllabus Highlights:
Explore Open Source GIS with QGIS
Critically examine mapping, power, and colonialism
Apply participatory methods and fieldwork for spatial data collection
Assignments include GIS analysis, open data collection, and a QGIS-based fieldwork trip
International Law
Italy
Enrollment:
• 28 students
Syllabus Highlights:
Introduce the sources, subjects, and foundational principles of international law
Examine the role and functioning of key institutions such as the UN, ICJ, and regional courts
Explore contemporary issues including sovereignty, recognition, and humanitarian intervention
Law and Development
Enrollment:
• Spring 2026
Syllabus Highlights:
Examine key theories and debates in law and development
Analyze the role of global institutions, legal reform, and aid in development contexts
Explore legal pluralism, informality, and access to justice in comparative perspective
Critically assess case studies from the Global South with attention to power and resistance
Analyze Law and Imperialism
Global China
Enrollment:
• Fall 2025
Syllabus Highlights:
Examine China's geopolitical strategies and global rise
Explore spatial transformations via Belt and Road investments
Analyze CPC documents and development diplomacy narratives
Assess China's influence on political and economic dependencies in the Global South
Employ Text Mining and Discourse Analysis
Full-Stack Research
Enrollment:
• Fall 2025
Syllabus Highlights:
Introduce mixed methods research integrating qualitative, quantitative, and spatial analysis with a strong focus on coding
Learn Python for text mining, data collection, and geospatial analysis
Gain hands-on experience with APIs, web scraping, and interactive data visualization
Experiment with qualitative methods
Build interactive dashboards