For some decades, students and scholars of Political Science have debated methodological differences, paradigmatic differences, and policy differences as they relate to curricula. Today, the real challenges facing the teaching of Political Science have less to do with content and much more to do with form and process. The next transformation in…

This document describes a public administration internship course. The paper illustrates how student intern experiences can be used as a base in a public administration internship course to teach about public administration, and to show how students' practice can help them learn, understand, and remember theory. In the course the students worked…

This conference paper asserts that there are four faces to the stories of people's lives: (1) a personal face; (2) a political face; (3) a historical face; and (4) a sacred face. The study explains how each of these faces interacts in society and is used to analyze and to teach multicultural literary works as archetypal stories from the…

This study examines the question of whether a college education meets society's expectations in today's world. Assessment programs are being used by academia to determine a college student's achievements and whether his or her performance will enable him or her to be effective in the real world. Assessment, however, is under fire by those who have…

This paper reviews technology usage in four different methods of teaching U.S. government. The paper reviews effective technology with traditional synchronous lecture; reviews teaching U.S. government using a smart classroom with live Internet feeds; explores full video capability and use of PowerPoint software; examines Web-enhanced U.S.…

Millikin University in Illinois has about 2400 students and is committed to providing small, seminar-style, learning opportunities in every course. Millikin's Political Science Department has earned recognition institutionally and nationally for its work. In the summer of 2001, the department decided to revamp the curriculum and made a conscious…

The use of an electoral college simulation model by college students is described. At least 16 students should participate to represent four geographical regions: the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West. The electoral college simulation is most relevant in courses on American politics, the United States presidency, and elections.…

The political educator takes the perspective that, in Thomas Hobbes's phrase, "man is not born fit for society." To make him so fit, contemporary political educators seek to develop individual autonomy and democratic affect, which would have the added task of reforming all of society in the future. The current consensus holds that the…

To allow student writing to reach a broader audience, in 1999 political science educators and students at California State University Chico (CSUC) began a student journal in which exemplary student writing on political themes could be published. The resulting journal, "Studium: The California State University, Chico Student Journal of…

This paper depicts the origins, operation, and success of the Community Mediation Service established at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in 1979. During the 1970s, a national impetus for change arose out of stresses in the justice system including clogged courts, expensive and lengthy litigation, distrust of lawyers, and dissatisfaction of both…

The programmatic structure and modes of implementation of U.S. social provisions must be understood in order to gain insight into social programs in the United States. National standards have not been established for public benefits and "social security" has remained firmly separated, both institutionally and symbolically, from…

This paper delineates common concerns about less popular, lower-enrollment distance education courses that are deemed important for students to be able to function effectively in an increasingly global community. Educational institutions encourage the broadening of students' experiences by offering them options in international courses. However,…

A collection of essays designed to provide educators and other interested individuals with contemporary perspectives on the U.S. Constitution and separation of powers is presented. Separation of powers refers to one of the enduring principles of the U.S. constitutional system of government, in which governmental powers are subject to a division of…

Public administration, long considered a poor relation of political science in Australian academic circles, has recently been revitalized by a new concentration in public policy studies. This paper summarizes the efforts of 10 Australian universities to develop public policy degree programs, describes University of New England's new program, and…

Twenty years ago, many leading political scientists advised their colleagues to focus only on the policy-making process and eschew the content of policy because, they argued, the scientific discipline did not have normative standards by which to judge policy contents, and because political scientists could not become experts in the many…