When political knowledge is scarce, affective attitudes, which can consist of emotion-driven feelings regarding political figures, government, country, and foreign nations, often assist policy judgment. Based on pre- and post-surveys administered in Introduction to American Politics courses, fall 2003-fall 2005, this study examines how political…

Video production has come into widespread use in various fields of social science. Visual anthropologists (Pink 2006), psychologists (Webster and Sell 2007), historians (Ferro 2000), and visual sociologists (Newman 2006) have used films and videos to document, to preserve, and to analyze social data. There is no reason to think that the use of…

In March 2009, a faculty member and four political science students led a forum entitled "Wikis in the Classroom: Student and Faculty Perspective." The discussion centered on a number of benefits and concerns with the use of wikis as an instructional tool within the classroom. Based on student and faculty feedback, this article expands on four…

Inspired by the work of Ernest Boyer and the Boyer Commission, the Scholarship of Engagement for Politics project was an attempt to adapt their demands for research-based undergraduate learning opportunities to the British context through the pedagogy of placement learning. This article explores the project's attempts to make placement learning…

It is often suggested that the swift arrival of a world shaped by information superabundance--symbolized by the astonishing growth in popularity of the digital search engine Google--has changed the manner in which many learn. A particular concern of some is the perception that younger people have turned away from books and long articles and have…

This article aims to explore practitioner-focused degrees in politics. It begins by defining the term and outlining the key features in comparison to other politics degrees. The underlying pedagogical principles that inform the design of teaching, learning, and assessment are then explored, before the article moves on to discuss the development of…

Education policy in England has been criticized for an overemphasis on narrow performance targets and the adoption of private sector principles. Universities and colleges have increasingly been viewed in terms of their value for the U.K. economy. This article argues that there are sound ethical (philosophical), political, and pedagogical reasons…

Perceiving political engagement to be dangerously low among American citizens, many political science professors in recent years have attempted to promote engagement and "healthier" political attitudes. The effectiveness of these efforts appears variable and generally quite modest. Following the model of Canadian citizens' assemblies, we taught a…

In this paper we offer a negotiation and cooperative game theory application to international water in the classroom. A simulation game was developed for the Aral Sea water dispute as part of a textbook prepared for teaching a diverse group of students a graduate-level International Water course. A condensed version of the Aral Sea Basin water…

For at least 20 years, American universities, political scientists, and college students have each been criticized for holding themselves aloof from public life. This article introduces a pedagogical method--research service-learning (RSL)--and examines whether it can provide a means of integrating scholarly theory with civic practice to enhance…

This article draws from different experiences in teaching Introduction to American Politics classes over a six-year period. It examines the value of using nontraditional texts in introductory political science classes that may also fulfill general education requirements, in order to engage as many students as possible in the subject matter. It…

This article considers the impact of service-learning in diverse communities on student civic development. A key debate in the literature is whether service-learning in diverse communities fosters student moral/cognitive development or reinforces preexisting stereotypes. This debate has significant implications for student's future civic…

The literature on political participation indicates that initiating contacts with the government is a vital form of civic engagement. Using this criterion to define participation, some researchers claim that students in general are apathetic about government and have poor efficacy about public affairs. The present study examines this assumption by…

This study examines the pedagogical conditions that contribute to political learning in American National Government courses, using data from classes taught at universities and colleges in Utah. The purpose of this research is to assess the relative effect of course content, classroom climate, textbook, institutional ranking and class size on…

The focus of the paper is on the transformative effect on student learning and engagement that results from using contemporary Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and directed reflection to engage in spatial learning about the politics (literally) surrounding the student. I report on the pedagogical advantages of using spatial analysis…