Samuel Bagg

Teaching Experience

University of South Carolina (as faculty)

Social and Political Philosophy (undergraduate) — 2023 Fall
Capitalism and Democracy (undergraduate) — 2023 Spring — see syllabus
Contemporary Political Theory (undergraduate) — 2022 Fall — see syllabus
Social and Political Philosophy (undergraduate) — 2022 Fall — see syllabus

Oxford University (as departmental lecturer)

Core Seminar in Critical Theory (graduate) — co-instructor (2022) — see syllabus
Research Design Seminar (graduate) — instructor (2022)
Theory of Politics (undergraduate) — regular lecturer (2020-2022)

McGill University (as postdoctoral instructor)

Liberal Political Theory (undergraduate) — instructor and course designer (2019) — see syllabus
Capitalism and Democracy (undergraduate) — instructor and course designer (2018) — see syllabus

Duke University (as graduate TA)

Introduction to Political Science (undergraduate) — teaching assistant (2017)
Political Science Honors Thesis Seminar (undergraduate) — instructor (2015-2016)
Ethics of Violence and War (undergraduate) — teaching assistant (2014)
Challenges of Living an Ethical Life (undergraduate) — teaching assistant (2014)
Introduction to Political Philosophy (undergraduate) — teaching assistant (2013)

Selected Student Comments

From Liberal Political Theory (55-student lecture, McGill: Winter 2019)

“Best class I have taken at McGill. Superb lectures, ideal slides, interesting readings.”

“Samuel Bagg does an amazing job of making the material engaging, rooting it in a fascinating historical context, and providing enough information for me to be able to take the ideas of the course and run wild with their potential applications. Truly an amazing set of lectures.”

“Though unwaveringly strict, his policies are incredibly clear and one will never be confused about why they are in error. Bagg has an incredible mastery of the material and a very clear presentation style.”

“Arguably the best professor I've had at McGill! His attention to the learning of his individual students was remarkable, and uncommon at the school. A great professor who seems to have the best interests of his students in mind. Lectures were insightful and interesting, and his passion for the subject was contagious.”

“Dr. Bagg's teaching of political theory is of the highest quality: his course has been compelling and challenging throughout the semester, both in the lectures and the reading material. But what I found most interesting was the way in which he tailored the papers to fit the aim of this class: with the subjects he proposed for each of them, I believe that Dr. Bagg was able to strike the perfect balance (if there's such a thing...) between knowledge and reflection. I would recommend this course to anyone that's not afraid to do a little reading and a lot of thinking.”

From Capitalism and Democracy (21-student lecture / seminar, McGill: Winter 2018)

"I did not consider myself a political theory sort of person before taking this class. Only while in the class did I realize how interesting the subject is, how important it can be, and how much I'd like to study it again. Dr. Bagg did an excellent job of planning course material to create a causal story / argument. Going to class each day feels like reading a paper with the thesis 'Democracy and Capitalism matter' and each class is a different author-based paragraph supporting the argument."

"This was the best course I have done in my entire degree, and it's thanks to Dr Bagg. He is passionate and engaging. His style of teaching is really good, one does not get lost in the course and he covers every inch of the material. I was very impressed by Dr. Bagg and the effort he put into this course."

"I really loved this course. It has been, week after week, a real pleasure to come to class."

"I really enjoyed this course, it has been of one the most transformative and engaging I had the chance to take at McGill. Dr. Bagg is a fascinating and committed professor, and he is very rigorous intellectually."

"This is truly an excellent course - thought provoking and really useful for any studies relating to political sciences. I found myself thinking about it constantly throughout the semester, as it related to other classes and the world around me."

"Dr. Bagg was unusually helpful and meticulous. I don’t think I’ve ever had a professor who demonstrated such meticulous attention to each individual student."