This article argues that instructors should introduce students to abstract concepts only after they have provided concrete illustrations of them. The advantages of working from the concrete to the abstract are twofold: (1) students have an easier time conceptualizing abstractions from within a particular context, and (2) such a context provides them with a greater motivation to do so. In an effort to mirror the pedagogical approach I defend, I begin by reviewing the manner in which Plato introduces the concept of justice to his readers in Book I of the Republic. I then examine the common model of teaching abstract concepts, demonstrate how an effective alternative differs from this model, and review the education theories that support the alternative model.

This article addresses the pedagogical value of teaching Aristotle's Politics 4.1 early in an introductory course in political theory that draws texts from the history of political thought. I argue that this chapter provides an interpretive key to understanding arguments made elsewhere in the Politics and can be used to introduce students to the kinds of theorizing that appear in the study of politics more generally. I begin by laying out some common learning obstacles that students experience in introductory political theory courses, using Politics 4.1 to address these issues. I then outline my approach to this text and conclude by reflecting on some of the possibilities and limitations of this method of introducing the nature of political theory to an undergraduate population.

We propose that teaching critical thinking is the most important job of teachers in the political science profession. Yet political scientists rarely engage with one another about the specific assignments used to teach critical thinking. This article is the beginning of what we hope will become a dialogue on how to best teach students to think critically. We make a few recommendations for assignments that aim to make students think critically within the various political science methodologies: normative, interpretive, causal, and comparative analysis. We argue for a particular strategy in teaching critical thinking that reinforces students' abilities to recognize which kinds of arguments require which kinds of evidence.

This article examines a mock trial I have developed and used in teaching the history of political thought. Mock trials have been underused but have great potential to become an effective and exciting tool for student learning in this area. In this mock trial, the plaintiff, defendant, attorneys, and witnesses are eminent political or economic thinkers or political leaders of the past. Active engagement in this mock trial helped my students immensely in gaining deeper insight into and a more nuanced understanding of the ideas of the thinker they represented, as well as enhancing their critical and analytical abilities and improving their research skills. As a teaching tool that is amenable to creative adaptation, a mock trial can be an engaging and effective exercise for delving into the history of political thought and making it more relevant.

Many political science publications advance knowledge using previously collected data and an innovation or two in theory or methods. To encourage students embarking on a seminar paper project, I review some of these publications to illustrate that the understanding of political phenomena often advances in incremental steps.

In this article, I describe my work with Michigan State University undergraduates to produce the Michigan Policy Network, a web-based public service and research program that reports news and information about the political process surrounding Michigan state policy issues. The program empowers undergraduates to oversee website sections devoted to policy issue areas, each of which features background information, research, and current updates on government action, as well as regular blog posts, that aim to make the information accessible to a public audience. I explain how to inexpensively set up such a program and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the approach. I evaluate the four different methods that I have used to integrate the policy network with traditional teaching: (1) working with students as an extracurricular activity, (2) organizing a summer program for government interns acting as researchers, (3) integrating network assignments with traditional homework in topical classes, and (4) teaching a separate class for freshman honors students. My experience suggests that students are motivated to complete work intended for a public audience and are well-equipped to translate government information for public readers. Working on the policy network improves student employment prospects and helps build connections between state government and the university. I recommend that similar programs be developed elsewhere.

This article describes a local government budgeting simulation developed by the author and used in an undergraduate course on the politics and administration of local government budgets. The exercise allowed students to participate in a simulated budget process that provided them with firsthand experience in allocating scarce resources, making collective decisions, and considering the political implications of budget alternatives. The simulation activities also provided students with opportunities to practice their written and oral communication skills, as well as experience in developing arguments to support particular revenue or spending proposals.

Simulations are useful tools in the classroom for an assortment of pedagogical reasons. I have devised a mock constitutional convention for use in introductory American government courses to better engage students and spur critical thinking about the U.S. Constitution. This article details the particulars of the simulation and its outcomes.

The eighth annual APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC) was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 11–13, 2011, with 226 attendees onsite. The theme for the meeting was “Making Sense of Politics and Political Science.” Using the working-group model, the TLC track format encourages in-depth discussion and debate on research dealing with the scholarship of teaching and learning.

In 2004, 40 political scientists gathered in Washington, DC, to inaugurate the APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC), which aimed to explore how we teach and how students learn best within the discipline. A common theme linking the active-based curriculum to political science over the past eight years has been the theory of experiential education. Over time, the vibrant conversation within this track has included community-based learning, service learning, civic engagement, community-based research, simulations, case studies, problem-based learning, and internships. The discourse has also shifted away from asking what civic engagement is and how we can integrate it into the curriculum toward questions such as:

This year's participants in the Civic Engagement II track agreed with last year's participants that civic engagement is both a means and an end. Active learning through community or political engagement can provide students with a deeper understanding of political science concepts while also helping them develop the skills they need to become engaged citizens. Participants in this year's track focused on how to assess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that students develop through coursework, internships, and extracurricular programs.

Issues addressed in the Core Curriculum and General Education track at this year's conference are more important than ever. With the release of Academically Adrift (Arum and Roksa 2011), increasing budget shortfalls as a result of the economic recession, and calls for assessment and accountability, higher education and its usefulness have come under scrutiny. While this increasing scrutiny is a concern that others besides those in political science should address, our field's expertise within the political arena would suggest that we have insight into political decision-making and can act as experts that translate information from the classroom to the real world in a variety of ways.

The eighth annual meeting of the Diversity, Inclusiveness, and Equality (DIE) track at the 2011 APSA Teaching and Learning Conference focused on issues of difference, diversity, and equality as they relate to political science classrooms, departments, and institutions. This year, DIE included 22 participants and seven research papers on a broad range of issues. Subject matter included the incorporation of diversity topics into political science curriculum, the impact of campus demographics and diversity, and challenges faced by faculty in teaching diversity in politics.

Given the unique challenges of graduate education, the need for dynamic and up-to-date research is paramount. Changes in the delivery of postgraduate education and the postgraduate job market necessitate that faculty continuously develop and improve graduate programs and professional development. While much of the scholarship concerning undergraduate education and curriculum is relevant to graduate studies, dedicated research on graduate education in political science is also necessary.

The Integrating Technology in the Classroom track provided valuable insights into both the benefits of incorporating technology into undergraduate political science classrooms and the concerns these interventions can generate. The benefits discussed by the track's 24 participants were numerous and varied, ranging from enhancing participation in very large lecture classes to increasing students' “political Internet literacy” and public trust in government and to making learning more participatory and active through technological simulations. Concerns fell into three main categories: (1) legal concerns regarding student information posted publicly online and the necessity (and challenges) of obtaining institutional review board (IRB) clearance for classroom research; (2) the time required to adopt new technological techniques; and (3) the need for stronger research designs and evaluative measures to effectively assess learning outcomes of different technology interventions. Despite these concerns, there was broad consensus among track participants that technological interventions have the potential to enhance and ultimately transform undergraduate political science education. Here we highlight the central benefits, challenges, and concerns addressed by the track's five papers, and the discussions they generated.

This track served not only to continue the discussion of the importance of internationalizing the curriculum, but also as an impetus for laying out a framework to do so. The papers and subsequent discussions in this track highlighted both the challenges and the opportunities for internationalization in the classroom and the discipline.

Track participants engaged in rich discussions about “internationalization” in college and university curricula. We began by considering contending definitions of central concepts and educational objectives associated with internationalization. Participants discussed different possible avenues of internationalization, including the development of new classes, an infusion of subjects linked to global affairs in existing classes across the curriculum, cultural programming, and the creation of new interdisciplinary classes. We also addressed study abroad programs, language and cross-cultural training, and partnerships and exchanges.

Assessment, particularly program assessment, has reached a new height in the APSA with the publication of an edited volume, Assessment in Political Science (2008), followed by the appointment in 2010 of an association-wide working group on assessment. This task force has been asked to investigate current practices in program assessment and make recommendations regarding the role that the APSA should play to help departments and faculty conduct assessment better. Track participants were encouraged to think about how the issues they raised could help guide the APSA's overall approach to assessment.

The Simulations and Role Play I track conducted a series of engaged discussions regarding what a successful simulation requires and what aspects are customizable, given the wide variety of contexts in which a simulation may be used. Recognizing the presence of significant variance in available time, institutional support (both financial and technical), student demographics, and class size, the track concluded that any successful simulation must include several core components, which can be presented in a variety of ways. Chief among these components are a balance between providing necessary structure and allowing room for engaged student creativity and the need for thorough, reflective debriefing.

In a weekend of pedagogical fury, members of the Simulations and Role Play II track queried their peers to refine their ideas, presented data on the effectiveness of simulations as pedagogical tools, and shared methods of using simulations in the classroom. Paper presentations and discussions examined simulations from a variety of paradigmatic perspectives, including the use of simulations as summative assessment instruments, the role of competition in generating targeted learning outcomes, and the difficulty in balancing pedagogical objectives with design constraints.