Article by Ashley Simpson, Research and Teaching Associate

At the center of our teaching is our mission to help students make sense of an uncertain world. That goal shapes not only what we teach, but how we teach. If we want students to navigate complexity beyond the classroom, we cannot simply lecture or tell them what to think. They need opportunities to practice thinking for themselves.

Of course, we want our students to understand the politics of debt, foreign direct investment, finance, and trade. But more than that, we want them to leave our classes better equipped to interpret the world around them, and with the confidence and resilience to pursue their goals in it.

This is why our classes are not built around forward-facing lectures or top-down instruction. Instead, they are intentionally interactive, with a strong emphasis on student engagement and discussion. Research consistently shows that active participation improves long-term retention and strengthens critical thinking. But the benefits go well beyond content mastery.

When students actively engage, they develop essential skills: articulating ideas in front of others, speaking up even when they are unsure, and learning how to recover when they get something wrong. Moments of discomfort, such as realizing an idea needs refining, are a crucial part of the learning process.

These skills matter especially in courses like ours, where there is rarely a single clear or “correct” answer. Many of the questions we examine are complex and open-ended, much like the challenges students will face after graduation. To set the tone at the start of each class, I often begin with an “entry ticket” discussion. In my recent course on the Political Economy of Elections, for example, I asked questions with no clear right or wrong answer such as:

• If you lost your job in a deindustrialized area, what kinds of political messages might resonate most with you—economic revival, redistribution, or national pride?

• Populism often relies on “us versus them” rhetoric. Why do you think this framing is so powerful?

• Can you think of a contemporary political leader who has publicly challenged a technocratic institution, such as a central bank, court, or climate agency? What does this reveal about the tension between democratic responsiveness and technocratic independence?

• Do you think particularistic economic subsidies are fair? Why or why not?

Our role as instructors is not to resolve these questions for students, but to create a space where they can wrestle with them. If we are serious about helping students make sense of an uncertain world, we must be willing to expose them to manageable uncertainty in the classroom.

Want to learn more about our teaching philosophy, specialisation and courses? Then visit our Teaching page.

Ready to take a course with us? Registration for our specialisation “Politics and Money” starts on the 29^th of January.

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