The Political Science Education Section seeks applications for three APSA-PSE Area Specialist Pedagogy Fellows. Our first cohort of Pedagogy Fellows will help the Political Science Education Section, working in collaboration with APSA, to launch a new Certificate in Research-Based Political Science Pedagogy program. This certificate program is designed to provide a high-quality professional development opportunity for political science faculty and graduate students, as well as for secondary social studies educators — especially those who teach AP and dual enrollment courses.
While the search committee will consider additional areas of pedagogy expertise, we are particularly interested in pedagogy fellows who can offer credentials in one of the following areas:
- Civic and Political Engagement
- Undergraduate Research
- Internships and Experiential Learning
- On-Line Learning
- Simulations and Games
- Inclusive Classrooms
- Elementary and Secondary Education
More general areas of political science pedagogy will be covered by an additional pedagogy fellow. See a full description of the certificate program here.
Responsibilities
We anticipate that the Area Specialist Pedagogy Fellows will serve a three-year term, during which time they will be responsible for:
- Developing an asynchronous course in their area of pedagogy expertise, which will be completed and available to enroll colleagues in February 2026
- Developing a comprehensive literature review in their area of expertise, which will be available for review by February 2026
- Developing materials for an additional, complementary in-person or synchronous virtual short course to be offered at APSA 2026, APSA 2027, and APSA 2028
- Serving as lead-facilitator for an APSA short-course covering this material at APSA 2026, APSA 2027, and APSA 2028. This obligation will either require attending the national conference and facilitating a short course on Wednesday OR facilitating a synchronous short course virtually.
- Chairing a committee providing feedback on the APSA 2026, APSA 2027, and APSA 2028 short course participants’ teaching materials.
Qualifications
Successful applicants will, at minimum, possess:
- A PhD in political science
- Evidence of successful teaching in the discipline
- Ample experience using desired pedagogy to develop student learning experiences
- Evidence of participation in professional development activities designed to improve teaching and learning abilities, including attending teaching focused short-courses, workshops, and conferences
- Pedagogy-focused presentations at APSA, TLC at APSA, and/or regional political science conferences.
Additional desirable qualifications include:
- A well-established pedagogy-based research agenda grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), with publications in political science outlets (eg The Journal of Political Science Education, European Political Science, PS, section newsletters, and APSA Educate, as well as books, edited collections, and book chapters in pedagogy-focused edited collections, and so on).
- Experiences leading or facilitating professional development activities designed to improve teaching and learning abilities, including short-courses, workshops, and conferences.
Compensation
Our Pedagogy Fellows will receive:
- A $3,000 stipend, to be awarded in three $1,000 payments across three years.
- When the Area Specialist Fellows facilitate in-person APSA short courses, APSA will provide one free night in the conference hotel
- If the Section and APSA recoup their investment in this initiative, the Area Specialist Pedagogy Fellows will receive additional compensation at the end of their term, in an amount to be determined by the PSE Executive Committee with advice from the Treasurer.
Additional Details
- Pedagogy Fellows will have the right of first refusal to serve as moderator for relevant tracks at the APSA-TLC and TLC conferences but will not be obligated to do so.
- Copyright of intellectual material developed for this initiative will belong to APSA and APSA-PSE.
Additional Support
- APSA staff will be responsible for collecting fees, maintaining the online courses, tracking experiences required to earn certificates, and scheduling short-courses and TLC at APSA tracks.
- The Political Science Education section officers and APSA staff will be responsible for marketing and promoting this program.
Application Materials Process
- Submit CV,
- name and contact information for 3 references, and
- letter of interest
Start Your Application Here
Application Deadline: April 15, 2025. The Pedagogy Fellow will be notified of the search committee’s decision by June 1, 2025
Download a PDF version of the Call for Political Science Education Pedagogy Fellow Applicants here.
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