Teaching Experimental Political Science

With a core focus on successfully engaging a diverse range of students at all levels, this book includes a variety of approaches from contributing authors who are leading scholars in their field. Chapters provide both new and experienced teachers with concrete guidance on how to: facilitate student-designed survey experiments, use workbooks and templates to overcome mathematical and writing anxiety; use mock Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews to teach students about the ethics of experimental research; follow an apprenticeship model to teach students to carry out their own lab experiments; and train students to go out into the field. Proposed models of teaching are supported throughout by the latest empirical research on the science of learning.

Teaching Experimental Political Science will be a key resource for faculty and staff working across a variety of educational contexts including political science, international relations, international politics, domestic politics, public administration and public policy.

The teacher-scholars featured in this book explain how to spark a students natural curiosity about the world they live in by using experimental design to test basic intuition, generate and answer ?what if? questions, and address real world problems that matter deeply to students, researchers, policymakers, political practitioners, and the community at large.

?The infectious enthusiasm with which the authors convey their teaching techniques and experiences draws the reader in, much as the hands-on pedagogy of experimental political science draws in students who might otherwise be reluctant to learn about research methods. Readers will find a wealth of innovative teaching ideas, but mainly they will be struck by the authors? deep commitment to making political science research relevant and meaningful to students from all walks of life.?