Innovative teachers of political science have frequently moved beyond the confines of conventional teaching formats to better engage students with the demands of the discipline. In particular, the use of simulations has been proposed as an alternative to passive, lecture-based techniques, and a growing literature examines their value and efficacy. This article contributes to the literature by describing the development of a simulation that draws on the principles of immersive theater in an attempt to maximize participation while encouraging students to think critically about political concepts and ideas.

Academia has become an increasingly common political target, particularly the institution of academic tenure, which many conservative politicians accuse of helping to perpetuate the ideological indoctrination of students. This study focuses on students’ perceptions of professors’ ideology by examining the link between student ideology, professor favorability, and perceptions of professors’ ideology. We employ an original survey instrument and find that, rather than forming perceptions of their professors’ political views based on their professors’ actual positions, students tend to project their own ideology onto their professor, based on the extent to which they like their professor.

American higher-education institutions are under increasing pressure to prepare their students with practical skills for the workplace, and the social sciences—including political science—are not immune. Political figures have suggested—sometimes seconded by academics themselves—that research distracts academics from imparting practical skills to undergraduate students. Using a survey of international relations (IR) scholars, this article shows that this is not the case. Those who spend more time on research actually devote more time to policy-relevant research in their courses than more abstract and theoretical work, and they incorporate more contemporary issues. Research seems to encourage academics to teach their students to fish.

Despite the popularity of using games to teach international relations, few works directly assess their effectiveness. Furthermore, it is unclear if games help all students equally, or if certain students are more likely to benefit than others. Finally, how closely the game must mirror the concept being taught to be an effective pedagogical tool has received scant attention. We address these points by discussing the use of an updated version of the classic American election game, Consensus, to help illustrate the role of domestic political coalitions in an international political economy course. Assessing the performance of 39 students via a pre- and post-quiz, we find that student performance improved overall, particularly among frequent gamers.

This article introduces a regional trade agreement (RTA) simulation for undergraduate students. The simulation uses a multilevel bargaining framework, in which students can represent not only governments of negotiating countries but also domestic interests. By allowing students to experience international bargaining at different levels, they gain a deeper understanding of controversial international trade processes.