This study examined the extent to which the use of print and broadcast mass media could predict the level of awareness and participation of secondary school teachers in political activities and its implications on the quality of Nigerian education system. Eight hundred and two secondary school teachers from South West states of Nigeria served as…

The college classroom is both an intimate and an alien environment. Most professors have an intimate knowledge of what they do in their own classrooms while possessing very little knowledge of what other professors, even at their own institution, do in their classrooms. Each year, faculty in political science departments construct their courses…

Introduction to American Government classes can benefit from the addition of examples from comparative politics. Presenting students with examples of other democratic systems encourages them to confront the costs and benefits of choices made in the American context. Dealing with these "cognitive conflict" tasks facilitates higher level learning on…

Assessment of learning outcomes and evaluation of teaching methods are necessary in order to ensure that students are learning the lessons that faculty believe they are conveying. Quantitative data on the effectiveness of various pedagogical methods allows faculty to make adjustments to classes over time. Regular assessment of student learning…

This article describes a political debate among congressional candidates that the authors organized in 2006. The debate was structured to maximize student involvement both in the planning stages and during the event itself. After discussing relevant literature on experiential learning, the article describes the debate format and details the issues…

This forum reconstructs a roundtable discussion about the academic responsibilities of International Relations professors with respect to their undergraduate students. Specifically, participants discuss the proper pedagogical role of professors' personal political beliefs and the best ways to encourage undergraduate students to engage political…

This article deals with the Bologna Process (BP), which since its creation in 1999 has deeply influenced European higher education: What is it? How did it come into being? How far has it come? The BP is both a political phenomenon and a reform taking place in European higher education. As a political phenomenon it consists of a series of…

This article examines the growing body of literature on service learning as a pedagogical tool within political science. It also reports the results of a service learning experiment used in a course on State and Local Politics. Students completed service learning projects that combined community service, attendance at local political meetings…

"A Crisis of Legitimacy" is a unique comparative examination of the question of legitimate rule, as observed through Shakespeare's "Richard II" and the contemporary presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Largely pedagogical, this article is the result of an active learning exercise, whereby students in a "Politics and Literature" course…

Studies show that metaphors are a useful way to help people understand new or difficult concepts. The research is largely silent, however, when it comes to the question of whether it is beneficial to ask students to go "beyond transference" by engaging in metaphoric critique and construction. This paper explores how critique and construction…

Studies suggest that course-integrated information literacy instruction is an effective way to enhance the quality of student research. However, many political science professors are unfamiliar with the growing information literacy movement in higher education today, with strategies for integrating information literacy into their courses and…

Political scientists have noted that, in a variety of communication settings, people are less receptive to information that comes from a politically disagreeable source. Yet, there is little research on patterns of communication across lines of political difference in an educational setting, which we argue is unique in a number of ways. Using a…

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…

Students are well served by course simulations that employ active learning styles and student-driven interaction. For debate on political issues, particular public policies are quite effective in stimulating that discussion. We developed an in-class simulation of political debate on the issue of Social Security. We describe the simulation itself,…

How can we promote student and civic engagement amongst our students? At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the political science courses in the First Year Learning Communities Program have been using the "New York Times" as a supplemental reader to increase student engagement both inside and outside the classroom. The paper will examine the…