9. Teaching and Learning in Political Science

Tony Affigne, Providence College, affigne@providence.edu

For the 2008 panels on Teaching and Learning in Political Science, we invite proposals for papers, poster presentations, panels and roundtables which closely join new directions in graduate and undergraduate political science pedagogy, with the overall conference themes of global inequality and social categorization. (We encourage potential authors and presenters to think creatively about these questions, but the most successful proposals will be those which engage the conference theme directly.)

For example, your work might evaluate best practices in the political science classroom, for exploring political, economic, and social inequalities, at home and abroad. Do particular exercises, experiences, or materials facilitate deeper understanding of inequality in the political lives of individuals, communities, and nations? In a broader sense, does the conventional political science curriculum, as generally presented, encourage critical thinking about inequality? Are there clear benefits — or particular difficulties — in utilizing service learning, study abroad, or community-based research? How should we assess outcomes for these diverse modes? Do students learn different lessons about global inequality, for example, depending on where their study abroad experiences occur? How might political science students’ overseas study be enhanced to address questions of inequality, irrespective of host country or institution?

Closer to home, is it possible to design internships or civic education projects which confront patterns of inequality directly and successfully? How can international dimensions of inequality be understood through local projects? What works best, a focus on immigration, or on political economy and globalization more broadly conceived? In our use of classroom technology, how might course management software and related tools help illuminate (or perhaps obscure) the nature of inequality among and within nations, ethno-racial communities, social classes, and traditional castes? Are political science Ph.D. programs, and professional, master’s-level programs in public policy and public administration giving new teachers, practitioners, and analysts the skills they need to research and teach the scope and the impacts of inequality?

Beyond these questions, there are other innnovative ways to frame your proposal for this division. One might ask: How do inequalities within the classroom itself shape the learning experience? In other words, what distinctive challenges or opportunities do we face, as we work with economically, culturally, and racially diverse student populations, as well as growing numbers of female students, and international students drawn from an ever-wider group of regions and countries? Finally, how does unequal access to educational resources, whether between public and private, small and large, rich and poor institutions in the U.S., between colleges in the U.S. and abroad, or between individuals, groups, or classes of students, shape the kind of political science instruction which is possible?

The Division organizer welcomes preliminary inquiries from potential presenters prior to the final proposal deadline, and is committed to a diverse, inclusive Division program.