The author discusses how he taught the difficult abstract ideas of formal political theory to his students with a minimum of discomfort. (Author/RM)

Describes the use of a multiple choice quiz called a majority vote quiz (MVQ) in which the students' answers are determined by a majority vote of the students. (Author/JR)

Suggests that having political science college students perform in class Machiavelli's play "Mandragola" is an excellent way to expand student's appreciation of Machiavelli. Article provides a synopsis of the play, discusses Machiavelli's intent, examines the meaning of the play, and presents classroom logistics. (RM)

Hegel's teaching is often omitted or considered summarily in political philosophy courses. In order to reduce these difficulties, an introductory discussion of Hegel's political thought in the context of a dialogue is presented. (RM)

How an introductory political science course called "The Elements of Political Theory" is taught using Plato's "Republic," Hobbes's "Leviathan," the "Declaration of Independence," and the "Communist Manifesto" is discussed. In the course, students contrast the way ancients and moderns differ in…

Nine general observations are drawn from a survey of professors of Latin American Studies. From the reading lists and syllabuses, various approaches, instructional materials, and innovations are noted. (KM)

Political scientists in public law were surveyed for information relating to the current status of public law, the significance of methodological orientations, and recent research developments. (Author/KM)

This simple and compact teaching technique is briefly described, as are its procedures, setting and teacher materials. The basic goals and purposes are analyzed favorably in reports from users. (KM)

Discusses the use of policy memoranda writing in political policy courses to help students practice writing skills and learn about policy and policymaking. This essay describes four types of policy memoranda, provides guidelines and formats for writing each one, and suggests ways of incorporating them into relevant policy courses. (AM)

Presents an exercise for use in political science courses on the college level that requires students to solve a frequently occurring problem--the provision of a collective good and the allocation of its costs. To solve the problem, students answer questions such as "Why do we have governments?" and "What constitutes a just policy?" (Author/DB)

Political scientists should use all the resources, trivia, of the real world of politics as teaching devices and relate them to the discipline's general knowledge and theory. (Author/ND)

James Rosenau, the author of a new type of textbook for undergraduate political science courses, proposes to use the inquiry approach and dramas to generate student interest. (Author/KM)

This article examines the proposition that understanding politics and conveying that understanding depend on the teacher's ability to elucidate for and with students the debates from which the meanings of many important political concepts emerge. (Author/RM)

The purpose of this essay is to show a way that college students can be brought to understand that it is in their interest to be good citizens of a good regime. Aristotle's formulations of distributive justice as they appear in his "Nicomachean Ethics" and "Politics" are used in the discussion. (RM)

This article discusses a learning package of active-learning exercises designed to provide a comprehensive view of the policies of some communist countries. Normative assumptions, instructional objectives and methods, and evaluation are outlined. (ND)