DYUTI SAUNIK

TEACHING

I teach students to move between abstract political arguments and concrete problems. My goal is for students to understand why political outcomes differ, evaluate competing explanations, and use evidence to decide what would distinguish one account from another. I use simulations, structured discussion, small-group exercises, and contemporary cases to make difficult concepts accessible while creating multiple routes into participation.

TEACHING RECORD
YEARCOURSEINSTITUTIONROLEOVERALLDIVERSITY
2026Foreign Policy of the PowersUniversity of VirginiaTeaching Assistant4.954.95
2025American CongressUniversity of VirginiaTeaching Assistant4.964.88
2024Democratic Participation, State–Society Relations, and Welfare InstitutionsISM University of Management and EconomicsInstructor of Record4.83—
2022Introduction to International RelationsUniversity of VirginiaTeaching Assistant4.844.82
2022Politics of Western EuropeUniversity of VirginiaTeaching Assistant4.664.69
2021Politics of Developing AreasUniversity of VirginiaTeaching Assistant4.764.64
2026

Foreign Policy of the Powers

University of VirginiaTeaching Assistant
Overall4.95Diversity4.95
2025

American Congress

University of VirginiaTeaching Assistant
Overall4.96Diversity4.88
2024

Democratic Participation, State–Society Relations, and Welfare Institutions

ISM University of Management and EconomicsInstructor of Record
Overall4.83Diversity—
2022

Introduction to International Relations

University of VirginiaTeaching Assistant
Overall4.84Diversity4.82
2022

Politics of Western Europe

University of VirginiaTeaching Assistant
Overall4.66Diversity4.69
2021

Politics of Developing Areas

University of VirginiaTeaching Assistant
Overall4.76Diversity4.64
Full teaching evaluations →
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
“This was the most engaging and helpful discussion I have had at UVA.”
“As someone who was originally apprehensive about taking an IR course, I found that Dyuti excellently explained complicated topics.”
“Each class, we had an in-class activity where we applied what we learned.”
“He specifically asked for people to argue other sides and bring in diverse perspectives.”
“He was especially mindful of the fact that some students were more introverted.”
“I really enjoyed the simulations—they were highly effective at conveying a particular point.”
SELECTED COURSES DESIGNED

The Hidden Work of Democracy

This course examines how democracy functions in everyday practice beyond elections. It focuses on the roles of local representatives, bureaucrats, and citizens in shaping governance, service delivery, and accountability between election cycles. Using comparative cases from different political systems, we examine how institutions, informal practices, and routine interactions either sustain or undermine democratic governance.

Bureaucratic Power and Democratic Accountability

This course examines how policies are shaped not only by elected officials but by bureaucratic institutions that interpret, implement, and sometimes transform them. Drawing on comparative cases from South Asia and beyond, students examine bureaucratic discretion, political oversight, institutional design, and the tension between administrative power and democratic accountability.

© Dyuti Saunik