Teaching the Political Science-Political Theory Divide: Insights from Course Design for Research Tutorials

05 February 2025, Version 1
This content is an early or alternative research output and has not been peer-reviewed at the time of posting.

Abstract

This paper examines how the “intra-disciplinary” divide between empirical political science and political theory poses challenges for pedagogy by examining the context of introductory research tutorials. Drawing from the author's teaching experience, it introduces a tutorial model in which students are induced to offer preferences over sections before being introduced to their significance, and highlights how the model can create mismatches with consequences for educational effectiveness and equity. As an example of how such issues might be overcome, the paper proposes two alternatives to the baseline: a “pre-tutorial” that postpones assignment until students have had an opportunity to explore norms of research traditions in political science in active-learning settings, and a “combined tutorial” model in which a single tutorial accommodates projects aligned with either tradition. By comparing these alternatives, the paper illustrates how decisions around course design should address the discipline's inherent pluralism consciously to ensure pedagogical effectiveness and equity.

Keywords

High Impact Practices
Pedagogy
Research Tutorials
Political Science and Political Theory

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