Criticizes the notion that the empiricism of economics is more valid (and therefore more valuable) to the field of political science than the more subjective efforts of area studies. Specifically responds to Robert Bates's categorization of area studies as "unscientific" and unduly "humanist." Briefly discusses significant works within area…

Describes the use of computing technology in the Contemporary World History Project (CWHP), a year-long, two-part program that integrates the study of world problems within a traditional world history curriculum. Summarizes the use of the Internet via the International Communication and Negotiation Simulation Project (ICONS) in CWHP simulations.…

Summarizes an experiment in web-based political science education that compared two sections (traditional and web-based) of a U.S. Government course. Evaluates the experiment from the viewpoints of the student, faculty member, and institutional administration. Concludes that educators should not view web-based instruction as a means to replace…

Urban governing regime theory holds that cities are governed by ongoing coalitions of local economic and political actors who, in processes more complex than once thought, work to achieve particular ends, particularly but not exclusively economic. The theory is summarized, implications for urban universities and leaders are examined, and the…

A political science professor at James Madison University (VA) constructed a Web page to support an undergraduate course in government. This article defines Web-site goals and audience, reviews other sites, and discusses organization of Web links and technical choices for HTML editor, page layout and use of image, audio, and video files. Stresses…

Lists common problems associated with teaching large lecture classes and asserts that there are ways to surmount them through innovative teaching techniques. Provides an overview of the introductory American government course at Kent State University, and discusses techniques used in it to provide the benefits of a small seminar course. (DSK)

Argues that the obstacle to the revitalization of civic education in academic political science is the view that research and publication deliver professional advancement and recognition while engaging in civic education does not. Reviews the reflections of several American Political Science Association (APSA) committees on instruction. Provides…

Suggests that political apathy among young people is the result of not having the conceptual tools necessary to comprehend present issues. Argues that to grasp many issues, students need to be mathematically literate, which many are not. Suggests that instructors should expose students to comparative numbers more often. (DSK)

This longitudinal study focuses on the transition from higher education to working life. Research has hitherto described the transition in rather general terms, and there is still only limited knowledge about how graduates construe themselves as professionals, or how they experience the transition to the sociocultural contexts of working life. In…

A few years ago, while interviewing for a tenure-track position at a large, public institution in the Midwest, the author was informed that several faculty members suspected him of being "an activist posing as an academic" because the faculty thought that his research lacked "objectivity." Based on subsequent conversations the author had during…

One of the environments in which political science faculty most directly face issues of community, communities, and politics is when they find themselves teaching in programs abroad. The rigors of international teaching force faculty to confront issues of community identity, assumptions about political orientation, and presumptions about how…

A persistent question in undergraduate education is the question of getting students to prepare adequately prior to coming to class meetings. This article touches on some of the literature related to this "perennial issue" and then discusses the use of the Internet, via Course Management Software systems, as a solution to this problem. As opposed…

Although Terminal C at Logan airport does not look like a classroom, for about fifty minutes on this author's way back from Boston it was for him. Like many public spaces, Logan now has a very robust Wi-Fi wireless network and this enabled him to take advantage of a departure delay to "teach" his class. In 1970 when the author started…

Simulations are widely viewed to be effective pedagogical tools; however, evidence concerning their effects on student learning has been largely anecdotal or unsystematic in nature. In addition, most of the literature focuses on fairly complex simulations that require more class time and demand more of students than may be possible in many…

This document is designed to teach students about foreign public opinion and its impact on U.S. foreign policy. As information and communication exchange among nations proliferates, it is important for citizens to understand foreign societies and for U.S. policies to be understood and accepted by other nations. The purpose of this document is to…