Teaching “Pays the Bills”? A Study of Doctoral Program Descriptions in Canadian Political Science Departments

Abstract

ABSTRACT Teaching is an important practice in academic life, yet little scholarly research has explored the ways in which graduate education programs prepare the potential next generation of professors for this practice. This study explores the presentation of pedagogical training in the context of doctoral program descriptions offered by Canadian political science departments. By paying careful attention to the public-facing presentation of program descriptions, we can observe both the pedagogical training efforts that departments present as important for the graduate school experience as well as the different ways in which departments express the instrumental and/or intrinsic value of pedagogical practice. We find that many program descriptions present teaching roles in terms of providing financial support to graduate students, indicating an instrumental value. Others present preparedness to teach as an indirect benefit of the comprehensive examination experience. We highlight case studies of program descriptions that prioritize teaching and offer recommendations.