New Approaches in Political Science Education

This study will assess the use of films as an assistive educational tool in the course of political science and the effects it will have. Firstly, the use of films as an assistive tool in the teaching process will be discussed, and this subject will be analyzed in terms of political science education. Secondly, the effect of the use of films in the course will be discussed with the practice conducted in the “Introduction to Political Science” course by the researcher in the 2018-2019 fall semester. The researcher assigned the films in accordance with the syllabus of the course and gave as a homework for the students to watch, and after watching these films, the researcher asked the students to evaluate them in parallel with the subjects of political science and concepts which they have learned. As a result, the study revealed that films can have a positive effect as an assistive tool in political science education.

Development of Political Science in the Republic of Mordovia: 1991–2021

Introduction. The relevance of the analysis of the development of political science in the Republic of Mordovia is associated with the 90th anniversary of the National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University, the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Department of Political Science in its structure and the 20th anniversary of political science education in the region. Methods. Historical, comparative retrospective and systems analysis were applied in the work. Results. Over the thirty-year period, political science in the Republic of Mordovia has come a long way in the field of educational and scientific activities. The article identifies three stages of its development: 1) 1991–2000; 2) 2001–2014; 3) since 2015. At present, the university, on the basis of the graduating department of general history, political science and regional studies, is training professional political scientists within the framework of bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate studies. Fundamental and applied political science research is conducted in this department. Research in certain areas of political science is being conducted today in other educational and scientific institutions of the Republic of Mordovia. Discussion and Conclusion. Political science in the Republic of Mordovia from 1991 to 2021 has come a long way and achieved noticeable results in the field of science and education. An original political science school was formed in the region, which is based on the study of territorial aspects of politics. Currently, there is an expansion of thematic areas in accordance with the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation.

Understanding, Choosing, and Unifying Multilevel and Fixed Effect Approaches

When working with grouped data, investigators may choose between “fixed effects” models (FE) with specialized (e.g., cluster-robust) standard errors, or “multilevel models” (MLMs) employing “random effects.” We review the claims given in published works regarding this choice, then clarify how these approaches work and compare by showing that: (i) random effects employed in MLMs are simply “regularized” fixed effects; (ii) unmodified MLMs are consequently susceptible to bias—but there is a longstanding remedy; and (iii) the “default” MLM standard errors rely on narrow assumptions that can lead to undercoverage in many settings. Our review of over 100 papers using MLM in political science, education, and sociology show that these “known” concerns have been widely ignored in practice. We describe how to debias MLM’s coefficient estimates, and provide an option to more flexibly estimate their standard errors. Most illuminating, once MLMs are adjusted in these two ways the point estimate and standard error for the target coefficient are exactly equal to those of the analogous FE model with cluster-robust standard errors. For investigators working with observational data and who are interested only in inference on the target coefficient, either approach is equally appropriate and preferable to uncorrected MLM.

Going Dutch? Lessons from the Outcome-Based Political Science Curriculum in the Netherlands

ABSTRACTDutch political science curricula integrate the acquisition of knowledge of the discipline and transferable skills. This makes it an interesting case for US political science education, especially in light of Wahlke’s (1991) recommendations for a structured political science curriculum that incorporates skills training in addition to knowledge of the field. Although some of Wahlke’s recommendations were widely adopted, US political science curricula remain relatively loosely structured and often do not explicitly focus on transferable skills.This article argues that the Dutch example may help US programs revisit how to best achieve learning outcomes that allow students to acquire both knowledge and transferable skills. This is not an argument for “going Dutch” wholesale; instead, the article suggests modest modifications to US political science curricula.

Setting the foundation for democratization

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of a political science program in an Egyptian private university through assessing three particular dimensions: knowledge of political science core facts and theories; reading comprehension skills; and critical thinking (CT). Design/methodology/approach A case study research approach was used. The study relies also on a quantitative methodology. Quantitative data were collected from students in the second and fourth years of political science to assess their knowledge of core political science facts and theories, reading comprehension and CT through the online California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Findings Unlike the results of core knowledge and reading comprehension, positive results were found with regard to students’ CT. The levels of students’ CT increased from 0 percent in Year 2 to 18 percent in Year 4. Variables such as the school GPA, non-Egyptian high school degree and not meeting professors during office hours were found statistically significant to higher levels of CT. Research limitations/implications One limitation of the study was the relatively small samples’ size. However, while the samples might look small on the surface, they represent, in reality, between 49 and 59 percent of the students enrolled in Years 2 and 4. Practical implications Despite its pilot nature, this study provides some insight into the quality of private political science education in Egypt through assessing the degree it contributes to political science students’ knowledge, reading comprehension and CT and through investigating the most statistically significant variables. Originality/value Whilst several studies have investigated the quality of higher education programs, very limited literature attempted to assess the quality of political science education, in particular.