I examine the impact of simulations on student learning and on the growth of civic competence in an introductory American government class. By civic competence, I refer to an individual's skill and ability to make sense of vast amounts of political information; to work with others (and in civil opposition to other people's ideas) where…

This chapter takes the somewhat unorthodox stance that the central purpose of an introductory political science course is not to prepare students for future political science courses but rather to prepare them for a lifetime of democratic citizenship. It suggests that the way to do this is not by primarily teaching content but by offering…

The format of this text is dialogue--dialogue which involves formulating answers to knotty kinds of questions about free speech and free press which have worked their way to the Supreme Court. But it is a test meant to be played rather than read. Small groups within a classroom can simulate the Court's decision making process after minimal…