Model United Nations (MUN) simulations are an increasingly popular approach to teaching international relations, in both secondary and tertiary education. There is some evidence, however, that these simulations disadvantage female participants. Studies by Rosenthal et al. and Coughlin found that female students participate less in simulations than…

Simulations have long been an important pedagogical tool in the fields of Politics and International Relations. Their more widespread use, however, has been prevented by a combination of perceived barriers to entry in required time and planning. This article seeks to help faculty overcome these barriers and to lessen the burdens associated with…

Academic institutions and programs are increasingly using experiential learning and simulations with the observation that these pedagogical devices not only facilitate knowledge but they also provide an opportunity for skills and attitudinal development. The article seeks to determine the effect of experiential learning through simulations on…

International relations is often confusing for students. IR theories are introduced as parsimonious and elegant and then systematically challenged as students learn more about detailed events. There are rules, there are norms, and states follow them until they don't. East Asia increases these challenges because it often undermines IR theory.…

A simulation of the U.S. Supreme Court procedures and activities, designed to maximize gains in the areas of teaching, research, prediction, and motivation, is described. Instructions given for implementing the Temple University model in the classroom include suggested variations for particular situations. (SM)

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.…

Models of the United Nations (MUNs) as political simulation games are described by reviewing their scope, structure, and operating procedures. Benefits to student participants include a view of the current world state and empathy with leaders of other governments. Problems of MUN coordination and lack of literature are cited. (AV)

Futurism and World Order Models can be studied through simulation techniques which involve an inquiry into the ways and means of achieving basic values. The authors list ten simulation games suitable for this study and suggest debriefing questions. (VW)

After four years of using simulation in the study of international relations, the authors have found it to be a potentially powerful research and teaching device. In this report they examine advantages, such as the ability it gives the researcher to manipulate experimental variables, and disadvantages associated specifically with the use of…

Suitable for use in a high school social studies course, this class game simulates the political interaction and general unrest in the nine-month period following the death of Tsar Nicholas II in Russia in 1917. Eight class groups take the roles of the leaders of the following political factions: the bourgeoisie, nobility, Socialist…

Two approaches for teaching empirical research methods to graduate students in political science courses are evaluated. Specific objectives of the evaluation, in addition to comparing relative teaching effectiveness of the two approaches, were to explore causal dynamics between the teaching environment, user satisfaction, and learning performance.…