Teaching Political Science Research Articles

КОНЦЕПТ ДЕМОКРАТИИ В ПРЕПОДАВАНИИ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ НАУК

КОНЦЕПТ ДЕМОКРАТИИ В ПРЕПОДАВАНИИ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ НАУК

Critical Studies in Politics—An Introductory Note

This note introduces to the readers of this forum a group endeavour called ‘Critical Studies in Politics’ initiated by the teachers–researchers in Political Science located in different Indian universities. The initiative aims to redefine the object of the study of the discipline of political science in its efforts to radically destabilize the disciplinary formations. The note raises critical issues towards restructuring of the discipline of political science in India both in terms of its objects and its methodological approaches. One initial output from this collective activity is Critical Studies in Politics: Exploring Sites, Selves, Power, a collection of essays by a group of political science teachers and researchers (Menon et al., 2014).1 But it is also an endeavour that we hope will have a life beyond this volume in terms of consolidating a change that has already been underway in the discipline. This change has to do with two sets of issues, namely, the way the discipline frames its object and the methodological approaches it sanctions or allows. There was a time when our discipline was not only identified with a more or less derivative ‘application’ of methodological debates in the West, especially US academy, but even its concerns were framed within limits defined by them. Not only was ‘politics’ defined in very rigid terms as what went on in its formal domain—that of parties, electoral behaviour, state policy, decision-making, pressure groups and so on, but there was also an equally inflexible insistence on only certain kinds of quantitative empirical methods. Things began to change from the 1980s onwards and political science too was not immune to these changes though the pace of changes in our discipline has been excruciatingly slow.

Political Science Instructional Technology Best Practices in 21st Century Classrooms/Lecture Halls: Blending Theoretical Frameworks of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge with Applied Interactivity

Political Science Deans, Chairs, Professors and Instructors have a unique challenge in applying 21st Century instructional design, methodology and management for the effective use of technology in the classroom and/or lecture hall. By combining theoretical approaches to learning content knowledge of Political Science, pedagogy, androgogy, and technological integration (Shulman, 1986; Mishra, Punya, 2009), professorial instruction may impact learner cognitive retention and subsequent achievement. The basis of this framework is the understanding that instruction in 21st century colleges and universities requires more technological content knowledge while blending pedagogical content approaches. This research will explain highly complex activities and methodologies that draws on many kinds of knowledge based instruction and learning. New and emerging technologies such as computers, laptops, iPads, apps, software applications, interactive whiteboards and more have changed the landscape of the classroom/lecture hall. Subsequently, the research will provide best practices adjoining the conceptual application of research based instructional redelivery using the Interactive Whiteboard, Mind Tools, and Learning Management Systems. Technology serves as a purposeful supplement to instruction and therefore the need for continued professional development in colleges and universities is essential to sustaining relevant interactivity such as Interface Interactions, Cognitive Interactions and Socio-cognitive Interactions. In summary, this research will analyze and explain the blended theories behind the frameworks; provide examples of instructional approaches based upon Political Science and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge frameworks, and illustrate the methodological best practices applied by research based application.

School of Political Science

Out of all the departments of political sciences in Russia - the Department at MGIMO-University is probably the oldest one. In fact it is very young. While MGIMO-University is celebrating its 70th anniversary the Department of Political Sciences turns 15. Despite the fact that political analyst is a relatively new profession in Russia, it acquired a legal standing only in the 1990s, the political science school at MGIMO-University is almost as old as the university itself. Unlike many other universities, focused on the training teachers of political science or campaign managers MGIMO-University has developed its own unique political science school of "full cycle", where students grow into political sciences from a zero level up to the highest qualifications as teachers and researchers, and campaign managers, consultants and practitioners. The uniqueness of the school of political science at MGIMO-University allows its institutional incarnation -the Department of Political Science - to offer prospective studentsa training in a wide range of popular specialties and specializations, while ensuring a deep theoretical and practical basis of the training. Studying at MGIMO-University traditionally includes enhanced linguistic component (at least two foreign languages). For students of international relations and political science learning foreign languages is particularly important.It allows not only to communicate, but also to produce expertise and knowledge in foreign languages.

Achieving What Political Science Is For

This article argues for a political science discipline and teaching framework predicated empirically on the study of “real-world problems” and normatively on promoting civic engagement among political science students. I argue for a rethinking of political science and political science education in view of the pragmatist thought of John Dewey as well as more recent ideas on higher education of David Orr. This way of thinking calls for that which is lacking from various theory- or method-driven approaches to political science: (1) a problem orientation that explicitly clarifies that political science is for responding to what Dewey called “concrete human woes” and (2) promotion of civic engagement, defined as concern for the well-being or improvement of state and society, as an explicit learning outcome of political science education.

Teaching Canadian Politics and Foreign Policy Onsite: Benefits and Challenges

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the benefits and challenges of offering an onsite seminar on Canadian politics and foreign policy and assesses how this format contributes to achieving the goals of the 2011 APSA report,Teaching Political Science in the 21st Century. First, the author describes the development and requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Global Seminar series at Iowa State University, the structure of the seminar, and its operation in Ottawa. Second, several of the pedagogical and experiential benefits, as well as the challenges, for making the seminar successful are identified and discussed. Third, by weighing these benefits and challenges, the author concludes that such a seminar has the potential to serve as an effective model for increasing an understanding of Canadian politics among American students, as well as to meet several important recommendations for improving the teaching of political science today.

Satire and Efficacy in the Political Science Classroom

ABSTRACTPolitical satire has become increasingly prominent in recent years, leading some political science instructors to use satire in their courses. Yet, recent work suggests that political satire may encourage cynicism and decrease political efficacy. In this article, the author develops and tests an approach to teaching effectively with satire. Frequent use, source diversity, and critical evaluation engage students while allaying satire’s potential detrimental effects. The author evaluates this pedagogical approach through a classroom experiment using both in-person and online classes (student N = 163). Qualitative and quantitative data offer suggestive evidence that refutes the warning that satire fundamentally depresses political efficacy and indicates that students enjoy satire and endorse its use. By deliberately using diverse satirical sources, instructors can maximize the benefits of satire while minimizing potential drawbacks. For interested instructors, the author’s website contains a searchable catalog of satirical articles, video clips, and cartoons that can be used to teach specific political science concepts.

Scientific Literacy in Undergraduate Political Science Education: The Current State of Affairs, an Agenda for Action, and Proposed Fundamental Benchmarks

ABSTRACTPolitical science is falling behind a broad movement in the United States that seeks to reform the teaching of scientific literacy in undergraduate education. Indeed, political science is far behind that movement because the discipline does not have a collective commitment to science education at the undergraduate level. This article discusses prominent efforts in this reform movement and assesses the state of science education in our discipline. The authors propose an agenda for action on this issue in political science as well as fundamental educational benchmarks for undergraduate political science literacy.

Is Federalism Still the “Dark Continent” of Political Science Teaching? Yes and No

ABSTRACTFederalism is a core principle of American government; yet, how much attention is given to federalism beyond introductory courses? A 1969 study described American federalism as the “dark continent” of political science teaching. Based on surveys of chairs of US departments of political science and members of the APSA’s section on federalism and intergovernmental relations in 2013, the authors found that these course offerings have increased markedly since 1969, that the courses cover a range of topics, and that many department chairs are interested in offering these courses in the future. However, the teaching of comparative federalism lags far behind American federalism. Thus, comparative federalism remains a “dark continent” of federalism teaching.

Do Graduate Student Teacher Training Courses Affect Placement Rates?

We investigate whether the existence of a required graduate course on “Teaching in Political Science” is related to overall job placement rates reported by graduate political science programs. We examine this in light of evidence from 73 public PhD-granting political science departments across the country. We find that the existence of such courses has a marginally positive effect on placement rates, particularly with regards to the placement rates of lesser ranked research departments at primarily teaching institutions. However, the most consistent predictor of placement rates across all models is the research productivity of the graduate department from which the students received their degree.

Advancing Teaching and Learning in Political Science: The Role of the American Political Science Association

This article reviews the work of the American Political Science Association in support of teaching and learning within the discipline. It draws from a variety of sources in which this agenda is elaborated, with three goals in mind: to characterise the wide variety of activities the Association has in place, to touch on the history of those efforts, and to put these activities into the broader context of the role of a learned society.

What Have We Been Writing About?: Patterns and Trends in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Political Science

It is more than 10 years since Kehl (2002) identified the increasing number of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) papers being produced by political scientists. As noted by Hamann et al. (2009) and Whitman and Richlin (2007), this trend has developed further with increasing levels of research and publishing activity in political science education being observed in a number of national contexts. This is reflected in the content of the International Political Education Database (IPED), hosted by the UK Political Studies Association Teaching and Learning Group, which includes over a thousand journal articles on teaching and learning political science. This article aims to provide an up-to-date survey of the scope of this literature and to identify the key themes that have emerged as the focus of study. It argues that, while this now constitutes an impressive body of academic literature, there remain areas that require further development. These include the need for further consideration of the distinctive characteristics of teaching and learning in political science, continued development of research quality within the field, and a greater degree of scholarly debate within the literature. Attention to these issues, it is argued, will support the further development of this field in future years.

The Idea of Africa in South African Political Science

The aim of this article is to provide a perspective on the development of knowledge and the teaching of Political Science on Africa from a South African view point. The article sketches the historical context of the study of the politics of the continent in relation to various institutions. It also discusses the development of teachers and scholars who were involved in the emerging field of study as well as some of the controversy around the transformation of the higher education sector in the country. Publications on the politics of Africa suggest an initial focus on the core issues in the politics of South Africa, and only later on the continent itself. Some of the professional associations are also referred to. The conclusion is reached that the study of the politics of Africa in South Africa is more than an idea and is becoming more centrally located in the discipline as well as in allied multi-disciplinary approaches, and is poised for further growth as the countries of the continent become more integrated.

Teaching Politics in Exile: A Memoir from Swaziland 1973–1985

In this paper, I reflect on the half of my 22-year exile from South Africa teaching Political Science in Swaziland, initially on a campus which formed one leg of an unusual experiment in tertiary education, the tri-national University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS). The paper makes two main points. First is that the three national campuses which made up UBLS were in academic terms in the 1970s and 1980s equal if not superior to the better known and better resourced campuses over the border in South Africa. Thus it is suggested was a product of the rich international and high-quality mix of the faculty, the diverse and politicized make-up of the student bodies and the innovative and progressive nature of the curriculum. Second is that the three campuses became in the course of the intensifying regional struggle against the apartheid regime significant sites of struggle involving both faculty and students, many of whom paid a heavy price for their involvement. It cost me my job in terms of a deportation; others paid a heavier price.

Teaching Political Science Research Methods in Hungary: Transferring Student-Centred Teaching Practices into a Subject-Focused Academic Culture

This article discusses the challenges of moving towards student-centredness in East-Central Europe through the example of Hungary’s subject-focused academic culture and the (re-)design of a political science research methods course at the University of Szeged for Spring 2012. Although countries participating in the Bologna Process undersigned the importance of student-centredness, few countries have actually yet moved in this direction. In addition, we know very little about how these instructional methods work outside the Western democratic context. I show that research into teaching is an important means to improve the process of education and that there are specific problems in transferring student-centredness into post-Communist higher education settings. Finally, I argue that knowing one’s teaching context is vital for planning student-centred courses effectively, which would be greatly fostered by experiencing other teaching contexts through early-career teacher exchanges. The European Commission has recently affirmed its commitment to staff exchanges, but such opportunities are only likely to be beneficial if they go beyond the current 6-week long exchange scheme that the Erasmus programme offers.

Methodology of political management as a kind of applied political science

The article is devoted to the variety of political management methodology in modern political science teaching. Theoretical and empirical methods are considered. Political management is investigated as an applied trend closely interconnected with theoretical political science which is taught at higher schools.

Political Science, Political Theory, and the Liberal Arts

What does it mean to think about political science as a liberal arts discipline? This paper examines that question in relation to three sets of relationships: between the disciplinary practice(s) of studying politics (“political science,” broadly speaking) and the practice(s) of politics; between political science research or scholarship and the teaching of political science; and between political theory and the rest of political science (and more broadly the social sciences). The paper proposes that to conceive of political science as a liberal arts discipline is (at least in part) to have a special concern with the problem of the continuities both within and among each of these sets of relations.

Discussions Across Borders: A German-American Partnership

This article reports on our experiences in a German-American partnership in internationalizing the curriculum. In a globalized world, engaging other cultures and identities as well as understanding global issues and events from other perspectives are important qualifications that allow students to gain different insights in political science. Yet, not all students have the opportunity to study abroad to achieve these goals. Today's technology, however, offers effective methods and techniques for internationalizing the curriculum and requiring students to think beyond their own national borders. Our “discussions across borders” show how communication technology can be utilized to create opportunities for international exchanges with students at a university in another country. Beginning in 2008, students at the University of North Florida and University of Muenster engaged in joint online discussions on international issues. Based upon the achievement of educational objectives, we consider these online discussions an effective way to increase student awareness of other cultures and perspectives as well as substantive course content. As such discussions could be replicated at other institutions, this article presents the educational objectives for, design and process of, assessment of, and challenges in carrying out discussions across borders. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Political Science Education for the following free supplemental resource: Appendix 1. This appendix contains an example of a student feedback form.]

In Memoriam

Cleo H. CherryholmesCleo H. Cherryholmes, a professor emeritus of political science and teacher education at Michigan State University, passed away at his home in Haslett, Michigan, on April 18, 2013, after a long battle with cancer.Charles F. CnuddeIt is with great sadness that I report that my friend Charles F. Cnudde passed away on Thursday, November 1 of this year, in Boston. Chuck Cnudde was the model academic: a great intellect, an outstanding scholar, an inspiring teacher, an effective administrator, and a warm and compassionate individual. His memory will be cherished by his wife Sue, daughters Kate and Emily, grandchildren Edward, Rowan, and Nicholas Borninski, son-in-law Thomas Borninski, and by a myriad of friends and professional associates who worked with him throughout his distinguished career.Joseph HabererOur colleague and friend, Joseph Haberer (1929–2013), was a true intellectual, a force of life, and a mensch. He was critical to building the current shape of our department and university, not to mention our discipline and community. Joe's commitment to meaningful scholarship, justice, and excellence in education has made him a role model for many of us, who only wish we had his deep reserves of energy, unfailing commitment to the highest standards of scholarship, and laser-like focus on his goals. He accomplished so much while being a loyal friend, beloved husband and father, and general ray of “sunshine” into so many lives (as one student characterized it).David Halloran LumsdaineDavid Halloran Lumsdaine, professor of political science at Gordon College, died on February 27, 2013, of complications following a heart attack. After 64 years of life, he left behind two brothers, two nieces and a nephew, numerous cousins, and many dear friends, colleagues, and former undergraduate and grad students.William E. Nelson, Jr.March 19, 1941–May 16, 2013Alan RosenthalOn July 10, 2013, Alan Rosenthal died at his home in Princeton, New Jersey. He was 81. According to the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, where he was director from 1974 to 1993 and a member of the faculty from 1966 to his death, the cause of death was cancer. From our different perspectives, we offer these three tributes.

2013 APSA Africa Workshop: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The sixth annual APSA Africa Workshop was conducted in partnership with the Institute for Governance and Development (IGD) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from July 1 to 12. The event is part of a multiyear initiative to support political science research and teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa through a series of residential political science workshops at African universities and research institutions. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Africa Workshops program is a major component of APSA's efforts to engage with political science communities outside the United States and support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas.