Courses Taught (Instructor of Record, Yale University & UCLA)

1. Immigration, Integration, and Multiculturalism in the West (syllabus here).

2. Mixed Methods Research (syllabus here).

Courses Taught and Median Rating (TA, Stanford University)

1. Immigration and Multiculturalism (Vicky Fouka) – 5/5

2. Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (Frank Fukuyama) – 5/5

3. Islam, Iran, and the West (Abbas Milani) – 5/5

4. International Security in a Changing World (Scott Sagan & Steve Krasner) – 5/5

5. International Security in a Changing World (Scott Sagan & Gil-Li Vardy) – 5/5

Syllabi Co-Designed

1. Islam and the West (Lisa Blaydes & Gary Cox)

Full student evaluations here.

Select Student Evaluations

·       I think that Salma was one of the best TAs that I have had a Stanford. I came into this class knowing nothing about the topic so it was really reassuring to have a TA who was so open and friendly. Dealing with topics like religion and the Middle East can be sensitive topics and it’s easy to be insensitive by accident. She handled this dimension really well, encouraging people to ask questions even if they seemed dumb, but also maintaining a respectful environment for all. I felt like Salma was very invested in us learning and wanted to make sure that each student could get the most out of the class as possible.

·       I would sign up to take another class with Salma in a heartbeat. Any university would be extremely lucky to get her as a professor some day.

·       Salma was incredible at helping me manage a relatively severe disability. She did this in many ways, from meeting with me outside class to recap material that I had missed, to helping me work out a work schedule that was viable and meant I completed the class on time, to helping me work out physical/mobility accommodations during the simulation. I do not think I would have been able to complete the course successfully if she had not been so good about helping me adapt it to fit my needs.

·       Salma was amazing in section. She was kind, willing to discuss and debate, and invited students to participate. She built an incredible atmosphere in my section and many of us are very close friends now. She was the best TA I could have asked for. Thank you Salma! It was a great quarter.

·       Salma was incredibly effective at conveying complex topics simply and weaving them together. She did this by using a variety of teaching methods, including written notes and different discussion exercises. She was one of the most effective teachers I have ever had.

·       She was incredibly warm, supportive, and friendly. She emphasized that there is no such thing as a stupid question and would encourage peers to answer each other's questions, before stepping in to add more information.

·       Her commitment to this class and her students is unlike any other TA I have had. She often emails her students (individually) with interesting articles or comments on areas that she thinks we would be interested in.

·       I thought Salma did a really great job of both explaining the foundations of Iran and Islam (which I didn't know a thing about). In addition, she was effective in guiding me through the process of finding, building, and iterating through an argument.

·       Salma did a really good job of explaining complicated topics that we addressed in class and making sure that all different people in the class, who came in with different knowledge to begin with, were on the same page.  

·       Salma was wonderful at facilitating conversation between the section members, which I really appreciated. She also balanced her teaching between theory and concrete examples effectively. I felt like I was solidifying course concepts in section, which is ultimately the point. Salma is a good teacher and obviously cares that students absorb and comprehend the material.

·       She made Friday sections something I looked forward to every week given the high engagement and interesting conversations, and her level of expertise on the topics certainly helped answer my questions.

·       She had great knowledge on the subject matter due to her background, and that helped tremendously.

·       Salma is really good at boiling down long academic articles into key points and noting the similarities/differences between different authors.

·       She cared that we understood the material and was a relaxed and comfortable. In response, the whole class was comfortable with her and it led to interesting discussion among all members of the class.

·       She would sometimes step in in lecture to clarify some of the things that [the professor] said if she thought we wouldn’t understand. It was really helpful because maybe some people were intimidated to speak up in lecture but needed clarification.

 ·       Salma always made our discussion-based sections very interesting and engaging. Since our section was at night, we would often stay 5 to 10 minutes late to keep talking about a topic. I loved going to section!

·       Salma is very organized in section. She comes prepared with the order of the readings she wants to go through, the major points we need to discuss, and thought-provoking questions to bring to the class. Section was always easy to follow and we really made the most of our time!

·       Salma made section fun and interesting, she has an obvious love for the topic and is also incredibly interesting to listen to.

·       She was effective at starting off discussion versus just letting a daunting prompt sit in a silent room for a couple painfully awkward minutes.