Traditional writing assignments often fall short in addressing problems in college students' writing as too often these assignments fail to help students develop critical thinking skills and comprehension of course content. This article reports the use of a two-part (staged) writing assignment with postscript as a strategy for improving critical…

The traditional way of introducing comparative politics to freshmen, which is through the study of institutions, is contrasted with an alternative approach. An everyday-politics approach compares the daily struggles of global youth--how they cope in times of peace and war, and with issues of wealth and poverty, identity, education and employment,…

Prediction markets are designed to aggregate the information of many individuals to forecast future events. These markets provide participants with an incentive to seek information and a forum for interaction, making markets a promising tool to motivate student learning. We carried out a quasi-experiment in an introductory political science class…

Self-reflective political scientists have extensively reviewed the history of the discipline and argued over its future, but to date there has been little effort to systematically survey undergraduate scope and methods courses (for an exception see Thies and Hogan 2005). This lack of data leaves the discipline unable to assess how much we are…

Argues that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism since the Iranian Revolution has generated a number of issues of analytical significance for political science. Describes three main models in teaching and research on Islamic fundamentalism: Islamic exceptionalism, comparative fundamentalisms, and class analysis. Discusses the construction of a…

Discusses the difficulties of providing unity in introductory political science classes. Argues that beginning students will better understand politics if they are shown how to conceive of political figures and events in the same terms as their own experience. Urges a definition of politics that stresses people's relations to one another rather…

Discusses how theory and science are integrated into "Introduction to International Relations" and "International Relations Theory", two undergraduate courses at Pennsylvania State University (University Park). Highlights five issues that are used in the author's approach to teaching theory and science. (CMK)

Examines the impact of adding interactive video technology in an experimental course, "Congress and the Policy Process", in which the students held conversations with participants in Washington politics who acted as video seminar speakers. Reports that interaction with politicians improved the student learning experiences and grasp of the course…

Illustrates the importance of "passionate detachment" (passionate about being detached from one's position on a topic) when addressing advocacy in the classroom by describing "Introduction to Social Policy," a course on poverty. Explains that the course aims at developing an understanding of poverty, not just a list of proposed solutions. (CMK)

Describes the political elasticity (PE) theory that permits equal consideration of political science and public administration, discussing the five major propositions of the theory. Utilizes the principles of political elasticity by focusing on six countries (Netherlands, Egypt, Japan, Sierre Leone, Singapore, and Jamaica) that underscore the…

Explores how language and political science professors can co-teach a course using the Language Across the Curriculum format to increase student understanding of a country's language and politics. Describes a Georgia Tech course taught in German on post-war German politics. Addresses the elements of a successful course and student and course…

Describes the use of a learning community where 36 first-year students cohabitated in a single hall of student housing and enrolled in the class, "The American Political System", and a first-year seminar. Discusses the course content, the benefits of the community experience, and how to improve the community. (CMK)

Discusses how to use art in introductory political theory courses. Provides examples of incorporating art to teach political theory, such as examining Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Michelangelo's "David" to understand Florentine (Florence, Italy) political theory. (CMK)

Describes a congressional committee simulation used in an introductory U.S. politics course. Explains the simulation enabled students to discover how Congress operates. Discusses the outcomes of the simulation, student responses, and recommendations for using it in upper-level courses. Includes the personality descriptions for the commerce…

Discusses Emory University's (Georgia) Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity (TATTO) program, which consists of five components: Graduate School Course, Departmental Course, Teaching Assistantship, Teaching Associateship, and Dean's Teaching Fellowship. Considers the strengths and problems of TATTO. Lists the aspects of TATTO worth…