Rigor should feel demanding, never mysterious
As a first-generation college graduate who has taught across American and Swiss universities, I know how easily higher education can mistake an unstated convention for an obvious one. I make the hidden moves of political inquiry visible, help students reason through disagreement, and give them a path from learning about research to producing it themselves.
How I teach
Making rigor visible
Before an assignment, I explain both what students must produce and the kind of reasoning they are learning to do: how to turn an interest into a researchable question, choose a design capable of answering it, and draw only the conclusions the evidence warrants. Clear criteria, examples, low-stakes practice, and feedback make expectations visible without lowering them.
Disagreement without exclusion
Courses on propaganda, extremism, democratic erosion, and American politics bring contested claims into the classroom. I ask students to distinguish disagreements over evidence, interpretation, and values; state competing positions fairly before criticizing them; and identify what evidence might change their own view.
Mentoring toward independence
Research has hidden rules of its own. I make expectations about project design, collaboration, credit, and authorship explicit, then give students increasing responsibility for decisions they must defend. I have supervised two MA theses and trained two graduate students and one undergraduate honors student in the human validation of AI-assisted content coding.
Teaching at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and in multilingual Swiss classrooms has taught me to offer multiple meaningful routes into participation while keeping intellectual standards common.
“I don’t feel as though he dumbed down any material but made the content fairly easy to understand.”
Student, Political Communication in the U.S., UC Santa Barbara
“Professor Labarre has been one of the most outstanding educators I’ve had the privilege to learn from in the Political Science department. His depth of knowledge, ability to engage the class, and unwavering dedication to bringing out the best in his students set him apart. He doesn’t just teach—he challenges, inspires, and creates a space where students are genuinely excited to learn and grow.”
Student, Congress & the President, CSU Dominguez Hills
Teaching effectiveness across institutions
95.8%
UC Santa Barbara
rated the teaching “Excellent”
94.7%
CSU Dominguez Hills
agreed that the teaching was effective
96.5%
University of Zurich
were satisfied or very satisfied overall
7
Teaching awards at UCSB
including two university-wide awards
Evaluation instruments and response scales differed by institution; percentages refer to respondents. Full results available upon request.