The use of simulations has increasingly gained momentum as a way of captivating students' attention and enhancing learning in the classroom. However, despite its increasing use as a teaching tool, only recently have scholars increasingly empirically considered how the use of simulations may impact student learning. Moreover, whereas qualitative…

This article explores the hidden educational potential in the board game "Diplomacy." While commonly recognized as a good low-cost negotiation simulation and a useful teaching platform, the original game version over-emphasizes the conflictual nature of international relations and presents an image of international relations that is not…

Literature on simulation games stresses both the need for objective assessment of pedagogical effectiveness and the concern that such assessment may not be happening because it is too difficult. This article speaks to both points by presenting an approach to objectively assess the effectiveness of a simulation called the Human Rights Foreign…

Despite the popularity of Model United Nations, no effort has been made to directly assess student learning since 1984. Accordingly, we developed and administered a pre- and post-conference survey to participants in the 2007 American Model United Nations (AMUN). We assessed whether participating in the simulation affected students' general…

Although deterrence was one of the cornerstones of the international relations field for much of the 20th century, today surveys demonstrate that most students lack even a basic understanding of this concept. Yet, in the light of recent events on the Korean Peninsula, in China, and the post-Soviet space, our civilian and military leaders continue…

This article discusses international simulation "models" as vehicles for active student learning and leadership development. Drawing on his role as the faculty sponsor of his school's delegation and managing director of the overall conference, the author details the structure, workings, and benefits of International Model NATO as well as…

In this study we examine early career social studies teachers' use and understanding of critical simulations. We began work with participants as teacher candidates in their pre-service programs and formally studied them as they began their in-service teaching. We were particularly interested in teacher efforts to use simulation to facilitate a…

Professors of international relations are increasingly realizing that simulations can be a fun and effective way of teaching the complexities of the field to their students. One popular simulation that has emerged in recent years--the "Statecraft" simulation--is now used by more than 190 colleges and universities worldwide. Despite…

Increasingly universities aim to provide students with opportunities to graduate with skills ready to perform in the workplace. However, workplace-based opportunities for students enrolled in foreign policy subjects are more limited due to the diplomatic and sensitive political nature of the professional work. Thus there exists a need for higher…

Harold Guetzkow's guidance of research on foreign policy decision making was driven by a core concern: the avoidance of nuclear war and preservation of peace. He aimed to do this by supporting the creation and distribution of new knowledge through experiments aimed at simulating the processes and conditions hypothesized to influence such…

A simulation of the foreign policy decision-making process, as described in this article, can assist an instructor in linking students' abstract understanding of complex political events, circumstances, and decision making to the real-world interplay of the multiple factors involved in decision making. It is this type of active learning that helps…

The poliheuristic (PH) theory of decision making has made important contributions to our understanding of political decision making but remains silent about certain key aspects of the decision process. Specifically, PH theory contends that leaders screen out politically unacceptable options, but it provides no guidance on (1) the crucial threshold…

The document describes the 1972 version of the International Relations Exercise (IRE) used at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF). During the IRE, supplementary information, described in section 2.0, is also provided to participants. This supplementary information is not released for publication. The IRE is an outgrowth of continued…

Since the end of the Cold War, and more recently since September 11, 2001, relations between the United States and Russia have reached new levels of cooperation and accommodation. At the same time, many important developments in Russia remain cloaked by government intrigue or obscured by the complexity of Russia's political and cultural past. This…

Describes a college course which uses a national approach to the teaching of international politics. Students are grouped into "country teams." Each country team publishes an analysis of its nation's foreign policy. Country teams participate in other activities including press conference simulations and an inter-nation simulation. (RM)