Throwing as much fun and pop culture into an international relations class as possible, with the goal of improving student learning (and the likelihood of the course running again). Games proved most effective, while movies were less useful in increasing student learning on international relations.

This is a report of a case study of a course taught to upper-level, undergraduate students in a moderate sized, southern, public university. This review applies key tenets of established literature on the learning styles of Generation Z. An outline of the techniques suggested in the emerging published research on this cohort is paired with the…

This case study explores a novel form of classroom simulation that differs from published examples in two important respects. First, it is ongoing. While most simulations represent a single learning episode embedded within a course, the ongoing simulation is a continuous set of interrelated events and decisions that accompany learning throughout…

Political science faculty have access to a wealth of innovative pedagogies thanks to a comprehensive literature on teaching and learning in the discipline and related fields. Yet, from among the hundreds of documented possibilities, how does one go about deciding which to incorporate into a given course? Few articles have much to say in response…

Is political science positioned to embrace and incorporate the changing demographics, increasing multicultural diversity, and ever-growing disparities in the concentration of wealth present in many nation-states? Can political science do so within its research, teaching, and professional development? These two questions were the focus of the work…

A call to engagement at Fort Hays State University (FHSU) led to significant curricular and assessment changes in the university's Department of Political Science. The university unveiled the Year of the Department (YOTD) as "an ongoing strategic initiative for orchestrating change and aligning people, systems and culture at the basic unit…

This article reviews the Association of American Colleges' (AAC) report titled "Integrity in the College Curriculum: A Report to the Academic Community" in terms of its relevance to political science instruction at the undergraduate level. The report examines two issues: (1) political science as a core component of a general education curriculum;…

Some of the best undergraduate teaching now going on in American colleges and universities is described in this special report, part of a series published twice each year. The three disciplines focused upon are Biology, English, and Political Science. Four of the best learning experiences from each field are presented, each the subject of an…

Identifies some specific difficulties which foreign student have traditionally found in studying American Government on the college level. This article enumerates various remedies for these problems, including special textbook selection, lighter reading load, modification of testing procedures, and creation of an international student section in…

Contends that instruction in schools from elementary through university levels is a seamless web in which numerous elements of subjects converge with elements from other subjects. Asserts that a variety of disciplines can be taught through a study of Christopher Columbus and the Columbus voyages. (CFR)

Given the global significance of Soviet-U.S. relations, elementary and secondary school students should learn about the Soviet Union, but most students graduate from high school with little knowledge and many misconceptions about this country. It is important to teach about the Soviet Union because of: (1) its emphasis in the U.S. media; (2) its…

Points out that future citizens can learn from the lessons of war. Notes that selecting material for teaching controversial issues provides dilemmas. Describes structure, history, and content of a class on the Vietnam War. Includes course syllabus and describes use of multimedia and the inclusion of returned veterans as an expanded resources…

This resource document is designed to assist teachers in implementing the "History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve." The purpose of these models is to support implementation of the "Framework" at the local level. In addition to serving as a resource for teachers and…

Asserts that before civics/government teachers teach about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, students should be introduced to the religious and philosophical background of religions freedom in the United States. Identifies issues and historical documents that provide the foundation. (CFR)