Michael Laurence, University of Western Ontario This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Fall 2014 issue. Just imagine, as joyful or painful as it might be, that you are an undergraduate student again. Political theory class. Always mandatory. No escape. A semester of reading antiquated texts, sitting through lectures with drooping eyes, fleshing…
Elizabeth Matto, Director, Youth Political Participation Program Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Fall 2014 issue. As teacher-‐scholars of civic engagement, we always are looking for ways to offer students learning opportunities that foster the political skills, attitudes, and knowledge that are conducive to future participation….
Rex Brynen, McGill University This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Spring 2014 issue. After the earthquake that devastated the capital, aid was slow to reach the slums of District 3. Poor coordination resulted in duplication of effort in some areas, and shortages of essential aid supplies in others. The port and airport…
Elizabeth A. Bennion, Indiana University South Bend This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Spring 2011 issue. I recently participated in a roundtable on the topic of balancing teaching and research. Here are some reflections on the topic that I hope will be helpful to those struggling to make time for their research…
Elizabeth Bennion, Indiana University South Bend This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Summer 2016 issue. I’ve been thinking a lot about internships lately. Internships provide a valuable opportunity to connect students to post-graduation service and work as alumni. Our College is redesigning our internship program to achieve more standardization of requirements, greater…
Elizabeth A. Bennion, Professor, Indiana University South Bend Xander E. Laughlin, Undergraduate Student, Indiana University, Blooming This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Summer 2016 issue. Internships are a valuable way to further key Political Science learning objectives. Students who participate in internships are required to apply theoretical knowledge in a real world…
Georgia Nilsson, Lucas Alward, Jaydeep Bhatia, Sean Stephens, Adam Irish This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Summer 2016 issue. The graduate student experience risks becoming a monastic existence of classes, reading, and research necessary to master a literature, pass comps, and write a thesis. But there exist a number of vibrant communities…
Elizabeth A. Bennion, Indiana University South Bend This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Fall 2017 issue. Civic engagement initiatives take many forms. These include, but are not limited to, service‐learning, community‐based learning, community‐based research, and other forms of experiential education. The list of possibilities for promoting civic knowledge and skills is almost…
Jessica Candela, MPA Student, California State University, Chico This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Fall 2017 issue. Faculty at the university I attend have expressed interest in a guide to the undergraduate honors thesis (UHT), a high‐ impact practice (“Engagement Indicators & High‐Impact Practices” 2015). In this piece, I intertwine my reflections…
Douglas Graney, High School Teacher This essay originally appeared in the Political Science Educator’s Fall 2017 issue. American Teacher‐Adventures in the Classroom and Our Nation’s Capital chronicles a career as a social studies teacher. Starting first in Connecticut and upstate, N.Y. you will read the struggles of a young teacher learning his craft in different…