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Flectcher McClellan, Elizabethtown College, mcclelef@etown.edu

Living in times of economic anxiety and hardship presents challenges and opportunities for undergraduate political science education.  Colleges, departments, instructors and students are directly affected by economic hard times, in terms of diminished resources for teaching and learning.  At the same time, crises provide “teaching moments” for political scientists, encouraging students to ask meaningful questions about and seek greater understanding of the role and impact of government on the economy and society.

This section invites proposals that address how political science curricula and instruction promote student knowledge and insight about the causes of international economic crises and consequences for political institutions, processes, and participants.  What teaching approaches and pedagogies are most effective in demonstrating the relationship between economic turbulence and political change?  How can crisis times be used to facilitate development of communications skills, critical and analytical thinking, and ethical awareness?  How and to what extent can undergraduate political science education transform students from passive observers of hard times to involved citizens?

In keeping with the mission of the section, we entertain a wide range of topics for papers and panels, including but not limited to innovations in curriculum design, classroom teaching, instructional technology, experiential learning, undergraduate research, advising, administration, and assessment of student learning.  The Political Science Education section is strongly committed to honoring the diversity of institutions with which APSA members are associated and we welcome submissions from political scientists at community colleges and two-year colleges as well as four-year colleges and universities.