How an introductory political science course called "The Elements of Political Theory" is taught using Plato's "Republic," Hobbes's "Leviathan," the "Declaration of Independence," and the "Communist Manifesto" is discussed. In the course, students contrast the way ancients and moderns differ in…

Describes a public administration course specifically designed for adults. Course competencies are defined and instructional materials are discussed. (RM)

College students enrolled in a senior level political science seminar were assigned to read books and then write essays that uncovered one critical flaw in the work. The class was divided into teams to debate the value of the critiques. A mock trial format was used for the debates. (RM)

Breaks were imposed in the game Monopoly, at which times the players, college level students, elected one person and gave him or her the power to change the rules. Behavior similar to political behavior in the real world resulted. The students discovered the resemblance and wrote papers on what had occurred. (RM)

Describes an experiment at Hamline University, Minnesota, in which a course on "American Metropolitan Government and Problems" was paired with a "History of London" course to stimulate the study of values in a cross-disciplinary context. Course logistics, teaching methods, student assignments and problems in administration, and obtaining materials…

Describes a college course dealing with the origins and goals of Soviet foreign policy. The course examines the events surrounding the development of Soviet policy since the 1917 revolution, the domestic factors which influence foreign policymaking, and current problems and policies. (RM)

Describes an advanced college course dealing with urban public policy in the United States. It assumes previous student work in political science and urban life. (RM)

Describes and evaluates college level political science at the University of Santa Clara which promotes social science research as an integral part of the baccalaureate program. (Author/DB)

How fiction is used in a college-level political science seminar to teach about democratic decision making and U.S. politics is described. The fiction used is clustered around the following topics: community-level decisions, limits to consensus, group values and politics, acquiring elected offices and trying to keep them, and public bureaucracies.…

Describes and evaluates a college level introductory American government course which teaches students about citizenship by directing them to participate in local government meetings and write reports of the governmental units with which they become involved. (Author/DB)

A profile of quantitative methods courses in public administration is presented. Most of these courses use one of two models of learning--the concept attainment model or the nondirective model. How a third and more promising method--the inquiry training model--has been used in the authors' course is described. (RM)

Describes a college course designed to explicate the political dimensions of biomedical issues now emerging in American society. The course combines a rigorous overview of the technologies and the accompanying value changes which are producing these issues with a discussion of the problems being raised. (RM)

By studying constitutional law, students learn about the relationship between democratic theory and practice, one of the main concerns of liberal education. The mind is enlarged when it must apply ethical standards and political ideas to real human problems. How a political science professor teaches constitutional law is discussed. (RM)

Describes an interdisciplinary college level program which uses computer simulation exercises to teach about foreign policy and global issues. In the foreign policy simulation, political science and foreign language students role play national decision makers. In the international futures simulation, students debate demographic, economic, energy,…

How a fictitious international corporation is used to train managers in comparative governmental and legal processes is described. Masters of business and public management students are exposed to the simulated operation of an international firm that integrates the economic, market, legal, and political environments of managerial decision making.…