teaching

How stickmen are helping us to create active citizens

John Hogan and Sharon Feeney — 7th December 2017

What happens when you introduce freehand drawing into the first day of class. Read more

Teaching students applied politics

Edwin Bacon — 9th August 2017

More than ever universities and students are framing their degrees in terms of future prospects rather than present knowledge. This partly explains a renewed interest in teaching applied politics on degree programmes. But applied politics needs to be taught in a deeper and more critical way than simply focusing on employability allows. Read more

Methods Training: a Gateway to Experiential Learning

Kristi Heather Kenyon — 11th July 2016

Students often dislike methods courses, but methods training can be an exciting gateway to experiential learning when integrated into substantive political science courses. Read more

I don’t know much about it…: Teaching ‘the Dark Continent’

Laura Routley — 23rd June 2016

Students lack of familiarity with Africa is inseparable from the colonial legacies that have shaped our knowledge of the continent. Laura Routley discusses how to address students self-confessed ignorance of the ‘Dark Continent’’… Read more

The inbetweeners: supporting students in their transition to University study

Alasdair Blair — 23rd May 2016

Despite the fact that first-year students face significant challenges in adjusting to University study, in the UK we know little about the transition from school/college into University. We need to rethink the way in which students are supported from the start of their degrees. Read more

Overcoming Africa’s “Fake Proximity” in the Classroom through Popular Culture

Marie Gibert — 29th February 2016

I used elements of popular culture on a 3rd year module on Africa’s international relations to successfully engage students on different levels and help them think beyond mainstream views of the continent. Read more

The research-teaching nexus in Politics & IR

Volha Piotukh and Simon Lightfoot — 16th June 2015

Many universities talk about research-teaching links in their promotional offerings to prospective students but to what extent do they deliver when students are at university? How can we in Politics/IR make undergraduate students see the link between teaching and research? What strategies are employed by colleagues to promote these links? Volha Piotukh and Simon Lightfoot discuss the findings of their research into these questions. Read more