Abstract
The journey to good pedagogy is often a twisted, difficult, and time-consuming path. And often, the pedagogical aspect of our discipline is the one graduate school tends to ignore, under the assumption that most students will land at an R1-type institution. The reality is very different, with teaching-oriented schools being the most likely career path for many prospective professors. This chapter provides an honest, personal account of that difficult pedagogical journey and offers some insight into how a professor might find success at a teaching-oriented institution using active learning methods, like case studies and simulations.
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Notes
- 1.
GUISD case study material accessed at Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. “Case Studies.” https://isd-georgetown-university.myshopify.com/
- 2.
Vicki L. Golich, Mark Boyer, Patrice Franko and Steve Lamy, “The ABCs of Case Teaching,” http://researchswinger.org/others/case-method-teaching.pdf is an outstanding resource for those wishing to understand how to employ the case study method. This was originally found on the GUISD site, but is now accessible at the link provided. Vicki L. Golich, “The ABCs of Case Teaching,” International Studies Perspective, 1, no. 1 (2000): 11–29, also provides an excellent resource.
- 3.
Eric K. Leonard, “Establishing an International Criminal Court: A New Global Authority?”, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, (2000), https://isd-georgetown-university.myshopify.com/products/establishing-an-international-criminal-court-the-emergence-of-a-new-global-authority
- 4.
Jeffrey S. Lantis, Lynn M. Kuzma and John Boehrer (ed). The New International Studies Classroom: Active Teaching, Active Learning. (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2000), provides a look at multiple means of active learning.
- 5.
A large number of the methods I employed came from my time attending professional conferences and workshops. The APSA Teaching and Learning conference was extremely helpful, as were the career workshops held at the annual ISA conference.
- 6.
American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU). “About Leap,” https://www.aacu.org/leap
- 7.
https://www.aacu.org/leap/essential-learning-outcomes provides an overview of these outcomes, along with the skills that each outcome contains.
- 8.
AAC&U, “About LEAP,” https://www.aacu.org/leap
- 9.
AAC&U, “What is a Liberal Education?” https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education
- 10.
AAC&U, “Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success,” https://www.aacu.org/leap/public-opinion-research/2015-survey-results
- 11.
Pew Research Center, “Is College Worth It?” http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/05/15/is-college-worth-it/, although a bit outdated, this survey provides insight about what the American public sees as the purpose of college, with 47% saying that “the main purpose of college is to teach work related skills and knowledge.”
- 12.
Jay Caufield. How to Design and Teach a Hybrid Course: Achieving Student-Centered Learning Through Blended Classroom, Online, and Experiential Activities. (Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2011); Francine S. Glazer (ed.). Blended Learning: Across the Disciplines, Across the Academy. (Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2012) are two excellent introductory resources to this method.
- 13.
“Active Learning in Political Science” http://activelearningps.com/
- 14.
There are several at the current ISA conference (2018). I will be attending one entitled, Teaching the Intro Course.
- 15.
The APSA Teaching and Learning conference has been the biggest pedagogical conference in our discipline for years, but starting in fall 2018, ISA will be holding its own pedagogical conference. International Studies Association, “Innovative Pedagogy Conference,” https://www.isanet.org/News/ID/5580/Innovative-Pedagogy-Conference-2018
References
Active Learning in Political Science. Blog. http://activelearningps.com/
American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). About LEAP. https://www.aacu.org/leap
AAC&U. What is a Liberal Education? https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education
AAC&U. Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success.
Caulfield, Jay. 2011. How to Design and Teach a Hybrid Course: Achieving Student-Centered Learning through Blended Classroom, Online, and Experiential Activities. 1st ed. Sterling: Stylus Pub.
Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. Case Studies. https://isd-georgetown-university.myshopify.com/
Glazer, Francine S., ed. 2012. Blended Learning: Across the Disciplines, across the Academy. Sterling: Stylus Pub.
Golich, Vicki L. 2000. The ABCs of Case Teaching. International Studies Perspectives 1 (1): 11–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/1528-3577.00002.
Golich, Vicki L., Mark Boyer, Patrice Franko, and Steve Lamy. 2000. “The ABCs of Case Teaching,” Pew Case Studies in International Affairs. Washington, DC: Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. http://researchswinger.org/others/case-method-teaching.pdf
International Studies Association (ISA). Innovative Pedagogy Conference. https://www.isanet.org/News/ID/5580/Innovative-Pedagogy-Conference-2018
Lantis, Jeffrey S., Lynn M. Kuzma, and John Boehrer, eds. 2000. The New International Studies Classroom: Active Teaching, Active Learning. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Leonard, Eric K. 2003. Case 314 – Establishing an International Criminal Court: A New Global Authority? Washington, DC: Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. https://isd-georgetown-university.myshopify.com/products/establishing-an-international-criminal-court-the-emergence-of-a-new-global-authority
Pew Research Center. Is College Worth It? http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/05/15/is-college-worth-it/
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Leonard, E.K. (2020). From Two-Time College Dropout to Full Professor: The Non-traditional Route to Teacher and Mentor. In: Frueh, J. (eds) Pedagogical Journeys through World Politics. Political Pedagogies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20305-4_12
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