Advocates inclusion of political philosophy in the education of public administrators. States that U.S. public officials need knowledge gained through a general education rather than through a specialization in administrative science. Emphasizes that administrators must study philosophy if they are to make political decisions in line with the U.S.…

Points out inadequacies in the numeric data set that accompanied the Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science (SETUPS) monograph on the U.S. Supreme Court. Suggests that the data not be used for research purposes but notes they may be utilized as a teaching tool in discussing quantitative methods of analysis relative to Supreme…

Describes a team teaching approach to statistics in public administration programs. Discusses a format requiring that students combine skills of critical inquiry and understanding of numerical data with the literacy skills public administrators need in order to communicate with government officials, managers, and staff. Suggests applications for…

Proposes a phenomenological approach to the teaching of political science. Argues that this approach will more effectively introduce college students to the content and methods of politics by relating these to their social experience. Discusses books in which the political world is constructed from the bottom-up rather than the top down. (KO)

Discusses the lack of emphasis upon international law in undergraduate programs. Reports the content analysis of four introductory textbooks in international relations courses. Concludes that learning is dependent upon supplementary reading and lecture methods which were not addressed in this survey. Makes comments concerning textbook selection.…

Compares political attitudes of West German and U.S. twelfth-year students 16 to 18 years old. Analyzes 39 items of an 80-item questionnaire from a cross-sectional survey of 552 West German and 483 U.S. students. Finds that West German students are more questioning and realistic than U.S. students. (KO)

Reflects on the teaching of a philosophy course to candidates for the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Focuses upon the exploration of interdisciplinary work and the development of new forms of teaching and learning. Comments on the failure to achieve objectives. (KO)

Suggests ways undergraduate students can perform political data analyses using electronic spreadsheets. Examples include data from presidential elections, voting information, and welfare budgeting. Illustrates how data can be used as a partisan weapon and in making predictions. Emphasis is upon electronic spreadsheets rather than the more advanced…

Provides a biographical sketch of Reinhold Niebuhr. Focuses upon an examination of the essential ideas of the mature Niebuhr. Makes the point that his ideas transcend political labels, and discusses the political legacy of this influential thinker. Calls for social theorists to apply his insights to the contemporary situation. (KO)

Reports on the results of a nationwide survey concerning the implementation of educational reform programs. Points out that recent widespread assertiveness by state legislatures in educational reform represents a change in attitude and contradicts the traditional image of a slow-moving political system. Notes that educators should again become…

Notes the need for political development courses, but points out the lack of agreement about scope and methodologies. Explores the theoretical and substantive problems in construction of such courses for the 1990s. Discusses attempts to identify a core subject matter, stating that the broader range of theory and subject has freshened discourse on…

Advocates a conceptual approach, rather than a country-by-country format, for teaching about industrial democracies because this approach is conducive to generalizations. Notes the neglect of studying small democracies such as Belgium and the Netherlands, which may serve as exceptions to the conventional wisdom about effective democracies. (LS)

Discusses instruction on communist systems and questions whether they should be taught as isolated groupings, given the resulting tendency to distortion. Suggests alternative integrative categories for these systems. Explores the difficulty of teaching these systems in a hostile and polemical environment and offers suggestions to compensate for…

Examines Canada as a neglected area of political study. Suggests the inclusion of Canada in the comparative politics curriculum because it offers rich comparative opportunities with its cultural pluralism, parliamentary system, and authentic federalism. Lists associations and funding sources for Canadian studies and recommends several textbooks.…

How rabbinic Judaism interprets the following laws and doctrines from the Bible is examined: the seven mitzvot of the Sons of Noah, laws of war, doctrines concerning the administration of justice, and political organization according to Abravenel. Spinoza's contribution to modern political thought is described. (RM)