Home » Political Science Educator

Political Science Educator

Political Science Educator is the newsletter for the Political Science Education Section of the American Political Science Association. Past editions are posted by volume on this page. For more information or to submit materials to the newsletter, contact the editors Colin Brown and Matt Evans by e-mail at editor.pse.newsletter@gmail.com.

Volumes

Volume 10

Issue 2: December 2005

Improving Teaching

  • “Optimizing Class Participation” by Nancy E. Wright
  • “Using Student Presentations of Current News Media to Link Theory and Practice in the Classroom” by Andrew L. Oros

 The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

  • “Applying Good Research Technique to Questions on Student Learning” by Jeffrey L. Bernstein

Lessons Learned

  • “Returning From the Teaching & Learning Conferences” by Tina Mavrikos-Adamou

Featured Essays

  • “The Road to the White House: Design and Implement a Course about U.S. Presidential Campaigns that Includes a New Hampshire Primary Campaign Internship” by Judithanne Scourfi eld McLauchlan
  • “The Philosophy Of Phenomenology and the Study Of Politics” by Earnest N. Bracey

Issue 3: April 2006

Improving Teaching

  • “Fostering Student Learning for Everyone on Presentation Day: How to Move Beyond Daydreaming and Friendship” by Alison Rios Millett McCartney
  • “Survey of Political Science Clubs” by Julie L. Mueller
  • “Pedagogy: The Exploration and Utility of ‘Probabilities Pondering’” by Emmanuel C. Nwagboso

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

  • “Getting Started Doing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL)” by Jeffrey L. Bernstein and John Ishiyama

The Teaching Professor

  • “Research at a Small, Comprehensive Southern University” by Greg Domin

Key Debates

  • “Cloaked or Uncloaked: Should Professors Reveal Their Political Ideology to Their Students” by Rebecca Tatman Klase and J. Michael Bitzer

Featured Essays

  • “Teaching Law in the Caucasus: Observations of a Visiting Faculty Fellow” by Charles Robert Davidson
  • “Teaching American Politics: The Politics of Incorporating Multicultural Highlights Into a Traditional Curriculum” by Augustus Jones, Jr. and Michelle G. Briscoe

Go to Top

Volume 11

Issue 1: August 2006

Featured Essay

  • “Transformation and Assessment of the Introductory International Relations Course” by Scott Erb

Issue 2: December 2006

Improving Teaching

  • “The Political Science Brown-Bag Lunch” by Susan E. Grogan
  • “Encouraging Reading and Discussion in Upper-Level Coursework” by Maria Rost Rublee

Featured Essays

  • “Developing Global Citizenship: Introducing a Teaching Toolkit” by Henrike Lehnguth and Jenny Wüstenberg
  • “Developing Analytical Tools in Introductory International Politics Classes: Different Perspectives are not for Entertainment Purposes” by Mark Sachleben
  • “Public Administration with a Comparative Focus: Comparison for the Purpose of Identifying Public Purpose” by Nancy E. Wright

Issue 3: April 2007

Featured Essays

  • “Constitution Day: Complying With the Mandate” by Nancy Bednar, Bruce Caswell, Michelle D. Deardorff, Karen M. Kedrowski, Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, and Adam Stone
  • “Constitutional Engineers: Using Problem Based Learning in Comparative Politics” by John Ishiyama
  • “Shaping Private Spiritedness? Lessons About Citizenship from Service Learning and the Fifth Grade” by Lanethea Mathews-Gardner

Go to Top

Volume 12

Issue 1: August 2007

Issue 2: February 2008

Featured Essays

  • “Getting Involved in Research on Teaching and Learning at a Large Research University: A Case Study” by Kenneth W. Foster
  • “Political Comprehension” by Kevin Jefferies

Go to Top

Volume 13

Issue 1: August 2008

Featured Essay

  • “Teaching Constitutional Law Within Political Science Departments: Sacrificing Traditional Breadth to Achieve Political Science Goals” by Donna K. Axel

Go to Top

Volume 14

Issue 1: August 2009

Lessons Learned

  • “The Turbulent Sixties: A Reassessment” by Anne J. Aby
  • “Get Your Student Learning Survey Approved by the Institutional Review Board: Three Simple Steps” by Elizabeth A. Bennion

Go to Top

Volume 15

Issue 1: Spring 2011

Featured Essays

  • “Student Feedback” by Elizabeth Bennion
  • “Political Theory, Museum Studies and Pedagogy” by Ellen Grigsby
  • “Using a Capstone as a Program Assessment Tool” by Dannette Brickman,Neal Carter, and Mary Rose Kubal
  • “Coming Attractions” by Paul Musgrave

Go to Top

Volume 16

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2012

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “A Teacher-Scholar’s Strategy for Success” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “The Lurking Perils of Course Redesign” by William Miller and Jeremy Walling
  • “The Writer’s Workshop Writing and Learning” by Adam Irish
  • “Benefits and Challenges of A Short‐Duration Experiential Learning Opportunity” by Jennifer Jackman
  • “Active Learning in Public Law Courses” by Judithanne Scourfield McLaughlin

Go to Top

Volume 17

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2013

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher Scholar Column: “The Importance of Teaching Outside the Classroom” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Our Greatest Lectures” by John Girwood
  • “Experimenting with an Embedded Librarian in an American Government Class” by Shyam Sriramand Amelia Glawe

Issue 2: Summer/Fall 2013

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher Scholar Column: “Challenging Beliefs to Promote Student Learning” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “What Are We Teaching When We Teach Engagement?” by Elizabeth A. Bennion, Hannah M. Dill
  • “Bringing Teaching and Research Together: A Report of the 2012 React Labs’ Educate Presidential Study” by Amber Boydstun, Jessica T. Feezell, Rebecca Glazier, Timothy Jurka, Matthew Pietryka, Jack Reilly
  • “Flipped Learning: Catapulting Students into the Deep End of Learning” by Rebecca E. Deen
  • “Building a Model United Nations Program on Campus: Five Suggested Steps” by Craig D. Albert, Martha H. Ginn
  • “Teaching Urban Politics and Elections” by John T. Bullock
  • “Emerson and Douglass in the Political Science Classroom” by Shyam K. Sriram

Conference Report

  • “My Place is Here: Reflections From A First Time Attendee to the 2013 APSA Teaching and Learning Conference” by Katie Cahill-Rincón

Film Review

  • “Mr. Cao Goes to Washington: A Film by S. Leo Chiang” by Nina Therese Kasniunas

Go to Top

Volume 18

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2014

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher Scholar Column: “From the Classroom to the TV Studio: A New Approach to Civic Education” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Aaaahhhhhhh, Zombies! Using the Undead to Resurrect Students in the Political Science Classroom” by Craig Douglas Albert
  • ‘Classroom Innovation with “The Hunger Games”’ by Bruce Martin
  • “Traditional Teaching Approach–No! Creative and Critical Thinking–Yes!” By Melvin A. Kahn
  • “Using Presidential Daily Diaries as an Instructional Tool” by Frank Franz

Textbook Review

  • William E. Hudson “American Democracy in Peril:Eight Challenges to America’s Future,7th ed.”Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2013. 431 pp. ISBN 978-1-4522-2675-0 by Richard Holtzman

Film Review

  • “Gaining Ground: Building Community on Dudley Street” (2012), Directed by Mark Lipman, New Day Digital, 58 minutes by Shyam K. Sriram

Issue 2: Summer/Fall 2014

Featured Essays

  • “RU Ready—Extending Political Learning Outside the Classroom and into the Community” by Elizabeth Matto
  • “Introducing Individualist and Structural Perspectives Using Student Autobiographies” by Justin Rex
  • “Dressing Up Our Students: Why Faculty Should Encourage Professional Attire in Undergraduates” by Samuel Lucas McMillan
  • “Multi-Class Interdisciplinary Simulations: Reflections from the Frontlines of a Joint Politics-Physics Collaboration” by Adam Irish
  • “Making it Work: Teaching Political Theory as a Toolbox” by Michael Laurence

Go to Top

Volume 19

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2015

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “The New Science of Learning” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Reflections on Presenting a Workshop at TLC” by Aleisha Karjala
  • Synopsis of Forthcoming Publication: Civic Education in the 21st Century: A Multi-Dimensional Inquiry by Michael T. Rogers and Donald M. Gooch

Issue 2: Summer/Fall 2015

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Making Time for Research at a Teaching Institution” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Can Building a Rapport with Students Improve Online Retention?” by Rebecca Glazier
  • “AFTERSHOCK: Designing an Educational Board Game” by Rex Brynen

Film Review

  • “Getting to the Point: Documentary Film Excerpts to Use in Your Classroom” by Andrew Levin

Bibliographies

  • “Super Simulations: Trailblazing Ideas for Your Courses” by Elizabeth A. Bennion and Xander E. Laughlin

Go to Top

Volume 20

Issue 1: Spring/Summer 2016

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Rethinking Internships to Maximize Student Learning” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Using the Results of the National Survey of Student Leaders to Help Lead Campus Change” by Katherine M. Robiadek
  • “Collaborating with Graduate Students to Enhance Civic Engagement: Lessons from Organizing an Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion” by Georgia Nilsson, Lucas Alward, Jaydeep Bhatia, Sean Stephens, and Adam Irish, Ph.D.
  • “Using Internships to Promote Student Learning: An Annoted Bibliography” by Elizabeth A. Bennion and X.E. Laughlin

Issue 2: Winter/Spring 2017

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Undergraduate Research Assistants and Scholarly Productivity” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “From the Student: The Value of an Undergraduate Research Assistantship” by Xander E. Laughlin
  • “Collaborating with Graduate Students to Enhance Civic Engagement: Lessons from Organizing an Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion” by Georgia Nilsson, Lucas Alward, Jaydeep Bhatia, Sean Stephens, and Adam Irish, Ph.D.

Go to Top

Volume 21

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2017

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Undergraduate Research Assistants and Scholarly Productivity” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “From the Student: The Value of an Undergraduate Research Assistantship” by Xander E. Laughlin
  • “Chances to JPSE” by Victor Asal
  • “Using a Work Attitude Survey to Examine Student Motivation” by Chad Kinsella

Issue 2: Summer/Fall 2017

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “To Assess Student Learning Outcomes, Start with Your Desired Results” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Pillars of Support: Six Tips for Faculty Advising Undergraduate Honors Theses” by Jessica Candela, MPA Student
  • “American Teacher: Adventures in the Classroom and Our Nation’s Capitol” by Douglas Graney, High School Teacher

Go to Top

Volume 22

Issue 1: Winter/Spring 2018

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “To Existing Assessments Measuring Civic Learning Outcomes among College Students” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Community College Voices: “Survey Seeks Information to Aid APSA Outreach” by Eric Schwartz
  • “Changes to APSA T&L resources and how these changes concern the PSE section” by Renee Van Vechten
  • “Faculty Reflections on Teaching Since the 2016 Election” by Inger Bergom
  • “Writing a College Textbook: Proposals and Negotiations” by David L. Weiden, MFA, J.D., PhD.
  • “Book Reviews: Additional Resources for Senior Thesis/Capstone Writers” by Colin Brown

Issue 2 – Summer/Fall 2018

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Hosting a Civic Leadership Academy on Your Campus” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Literature, Politics…and Leadership?: Designing a Political Theory Course on “Literature and Politics” to Include Principles of Democratic Leadership” by Katheine M. Robiadek
  • “Learning by Doing: A bill passage simulation for Intro to American Politics students” by Renee Van Vechten
  • “Writing a College Textbook: Proposals and Negotiations” by David L. Weiden, MFA, J.D., Ph.D.
  • “Book Reviews: Additional Resources for Senior Thesis/Capstone Writers” by Colin Brown

Go to Top

Volume 23

Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2019

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column:
    • “Using Action Verbs to Create Measurable Civic Learning Objectives” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
    • “Before Creating an Assessment Plan, Consider What You Want to Assess: Assessing Political Knowledge, Skills, and Identity” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Community College Voices: “Reflections on the Community College Status Committee” by Sara Parker
  • “International Perspectives on American Politics: An Online Collaboration” by Anita Chada
  • “Civic Education: Information Evaluation, Political Deliberation and Critical Thinking at a Federal Courthouse” by Nattawan Junboonta

Issue 2 Summer/Fall 2019

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Creating a Campus-Wide Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Community College Voices: “Success Stories of Community Colleges: Three Views” by Ron Hayduk, Peter J. Bowman, and Eric Schwartz
  • “Rethinking the Undergraduate Political Science Major” by John Ishiyama
  • “Teaching Together: Expanding the Classroom Curriculum through Small-Group Student Presentations” by Meena Bose
  • “Journal of Political Science Education Seeks Reviews” by Cherie Strachan
  • “New Resource: Pedagogical Journey Through World Politics” by Jamie Frueh
  • “Call for Undergraduate Research Submissions” by Christopher Lawrence

Volume 24

Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2020

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Using Work-Study Internships to Promote Civic Education & Student Leadership Development” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Community College Voices: “Community Colleges and APSA” by Eric Schwartz
  • “Teaching Students How To Write A Literature Review: Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together” by Ela Rossmiller
  • “Political Science and Community-Engaged, Project-Based Learning” by Kelly Clancy

Issue 2 Fall 2020

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Rethinking the Role of the University in Promoting Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Community College Voices: “Using Elections to Teach Civic Engagement” by T. M. Sell
  • “Breaking it Down: Writing a Doctoral Dissertation Prospectus” by Susan E. Baer
  • “Should Professors Remain Nonpartisan in the Classroom?” by Mark Carl Rom

Volume 25

Issue 1 Fall 2021

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “A Dynamic Duo: APSA Civic and Political Science Education—A Partnership for Civic Innovation” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Graduate Student Peer Teaching Mentoring” by William O’Brochta and Bryant J. Moy
  • “Bridges Over Troubled Waters: The Challenges and Opportunities of Peer Tutoring Politics” by Olivia Antonson and Erika Cornelius Smith
  • “Reflections on Learning Political Science from Five Decades of Studies focused on Civic Teaching and Learning” by Judith Torney-Purta
  • “Using Light Board Lectures as a Tool for Student Engagement in an Online Political Science Statistics Course” by Gregory A. Petrow

Issue 2 Winter 2022

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “The January 6th Insurrection and the Civic Education Imperative” by Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • “Using Online Anonymous Participation Technology to Encourage Undergraduate Course Engagement” by Mark Benton and Elizabeth Dorssom
  • “Explaining Open Educational Resources” by Josh Franco
  • “ThinkTank.edu: A Surprise, Positive Outgrowth of the Pandemic for Teachers and Scholars” by Paige Johnson Tan
  • “Simulations in an Alien Environment of COVID-19: The Role Practice Tests Play in Preparing for the Real Exam” by John A. Tures
  • Review: Cultivating Civil Political Discourse for Our Democratic Future by Kayla C. Isenbletter, David J. Hurley, and Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Review: Using Simulations to Promote Active Learning About Local, State, and National Government by David J. Hurley, Kayla C. Isenbletter, and Elizabeth A. Bennion
  • Review: Adapting to New Realities: A Review of the New PhD.: How to Build a Better Graduate Education by Nick Kapoor

Volume 26

Issue 1 Summer 2022

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “Tips for Working with the Media” by Elizabeth Bennion
  • Research Notes: “Student Perceptions of Open Educational Resources” by John C. Davis and Adam McKee
  • “Opportunities for Intergenerational Interactions in Undergraduate Research Projects” by David J. Fleming and Price St. Clair
  • ‘Bringing the Students Back in: How to Re-engage Students in a “Post-COVID”
    World’ by Reyhan Topal and Farzin Shargh
  • “Critical Thinking, Information Literacy and Democracy: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Tackle Misinformation and Prepare Students for Active Citizenship” by Barbara Robertson and Tamra Ortgies-Young
  • “Coloring Within (and Sometimes Outside) the Lines: Teaching Gerrymandering and Redistricting” by Nick Kapoor
  • “Teaching and Learning Immigration Politics as a Local Issue” by Kelly Bauer and Hyeonju Wang
  • “Supporting Student-Athletes” by Quinn Bornstein
  • “A Reflection on Teaching Political Participation Using” TikTok by Rachael Houston

Issue 2 Winter/Spring 2023

Featured Essays

  • The Teacher-Scholar Column: “The Future of Academic Freedom: State Legislatures and Classroom Content” by Elizabeth Bennion
  • Reflections: “The Importance of Making the Invisible Visible in a Political Science Classroom” by Igor Ahedo and Iraide Alvarez
  • “Diversifying the Discipline in Settler-Colonial Contexts” by Claire Timperly
  • “Prioritizing Racial Theory And Political Economy In Our Teaching / Review Of Charles Booker’s From The Hood To The Holler” by Chaz Briscoe and Jasmine Noelle Yarish
  • “We Don’t Talk About Bruno or Politics: Facilitating Respectful Conversations in the Political Science Classroom” by James Steur
  • “Cricket Brownies, and Public Opinion: A Recipe for Public Engagement” by Debra Leiter
  • “Encouraging Course Engagement through Anonymous Programs” by Elizabeth Dorssom
  • “Bringing Online to the In-person: The Advantages of Using Interactive Webbased Teaching Apps in a Physical Classroom” by Niva Golan-Nadir
  • “Implementing Kahoot! in Undergraduate Political Science Courses” by James McQuiston
  • “Moving to Their World: Memes in a Political Philosophy Course” by Ryan Gibb
  • Interviews: “Battles, Pedagogies, and Reflections on the First Amendment” (with Will Creeley)
    by Matt Evans

Volume 27

Issue 1 Summer/Fall 2023

Featured Essays

  • Message from the Section President
  • The Teacher-Scholar: Overcoming Party Polarization in the Classroom by Elizabeth Bennion
  • Reflections: Thinking Politically about AP US Government by Michael Christopher Sardo
  • Confessions Of A Pocho Professor: Teaching Latinx Politics When No One Knows What That Means by Matt Lamb
  • The Importance Of Data Soft Skills: Reinforcing Data Acquisition, Cleaning, And Communication In The Quantitative Analysis Classroom by Steven Perry
  • In Part Usage of AI And Academic Integrity by Cristina Juverdeanu
  • A Brief Reflection on Social Movements by Adil Yildiz
  • Learning By Doing: The Power Of Active Learning And Authentic Assessments In The Political Science Classroom by Nicholas Kapoor and Carrie LeVan
  • Liberty and Responsibility: Creating a Workshop Class in Applied Politics for Undergrad and Grad Students by Niva Golan-Nadir
  • Teaching Undergraduates to Work with Archival Documents by Erica DeBruin and Clara Harding
  • Any Questions? Podcasting as a Way to Flip the Classroom By Louise Pears, Marine Gueguin, and Harry Swinhoe
  • Assessing Media Literacy Approaches in International Studies by Ruth Castillo, Sarah Fisher, and Kayce Mobley
  • The Benefits of Early Student Involvement with Civic Engagement Programs By Anthony Franklin and William O’Brochta
  • Interview:  Model UN as Active and Engaged Learning: An Interview with Cheryl Van Den Handel
    by Matt Evans
  • Reviews: The Upswing: A Heterodox Approach to Reading Material in the Intro to American Classroom By Justin Curtis
  • Teaching Political Science through the Mind of Philip Roth: A 2020 Election Case Study by Shyam K. Sriram and Raziya Hillery
  • Short Reviews of Harvey, Fielder and Gibb (2022): “Simulations in the Political Science Classroom” and Nguyen (2020): “Games: Agency as Art”
  • Back Matter:  Announcements, Copyright Policy, Submission Policy

Go to Top