Recognizing the central role that technology now plays in politicalscience education, organizers dedicated Track Eight of the 2005Teaching and Learning Conference to an in-depth exploration of howtechnology impacts pedagogy and learning. During the three-dayworkshop, 30 track participants from throughout the disciplineshared a wide range of experiences and ideas about how instructionaltechnologies might help improve student learning and engagement.Track discussions ranged widely, covering the use of technology indiverse settings ranging from small seminars and discussion groupsto large introductory lectures and distance learning courses. Alongthe way, presenters highlighted a number of normative concernsraised by technology use in teaching as well as a range of practicalchallenges often faced by faculty using technology in the field.

One of the things that I recommend is for people to choose good parents and good genes, because then you will have a healthier life! My mom lived to 94 and she was very healthy until she had adult onset diabetes and didn't believe it. She did have a broken hip and a variety of things at the very end, but up until then she did fine. My husband's mother, my mother-in-law, went to 96; again, she was from a farm family and very active. Vincent [my husband] is 84 and he doesn't believe in retirement but at the time he hit 65 the rules were such that he had to go. So, some of us have options that colleagues who are a few years older did not. Vincent had no option but to retire. But Indiana University has been pretty good; they don't kick you out of your office. I am just flabbergasted with how one of my German colleagues hit 65 and, wham! he was retired and his office was closed up. He has been able to reestablish it but it took quite a bit of doing. We have a lot to be thankful for because we have a lot more choice: retirement was at 70 for awhile and now even that has changed.

In this article, I discuss an alternative way of conceptualizing andstructuring essay assignments in political science courses.Generally, political science teachers have tried to encouragecritical thinking about political issues by assigning essays thatask for argumentative writing. An argumentativeessay format asks students to present several positions or conceptscovered in a course, analyze them, and argue for their own positionon the issues at hand. A better format, I suggest, is to askstudents to engage in reflective writing.Reflective writing has four basic stages. First, students are askedto explain course materials. Next, they are challenged to reflectexplicitly on how this material calls into question theirpreconceptions about the topic. Third, they analyze the conflicts,confusions, or questions that arise from engaging theirpreconceptions. And finally, they formulate plans to use theknowledge gained by the reflective process. In short, reflectivewriting invites students to search for the truth rather than developrhetorical skills. My case for reflective writing is made here inthe form of a reflective essay, so readers can take from this essayboth a demonstration of the reflective process as well as anexplanation. Thus, I will explore my pedagogical preconceptions andexperiences with student writing, explain my initial understandingof reflective writing and my first attempt at using reflectivewriting in an introduction to American government course, and,finally, refine my pedagogy by analyzing the success of theassignment in light of a deeper reading of John Dewey and othertheorists of reflective reasoning.

In recent years, sparked by the path-breaking reports issued by the American Associationof Colleges and Universities (AACU) in 1991 (Wahlke 1991), the political science professionhas paid an increasing amount of attention to the relationship between the structure of thepolitical science major and student learning outcomes. A few studies have recently sought toexamine this relationship empirically (Breuning, Parker, and Ishiyama 2001; Ishiyama and Hartlaub 2003; Ishiyama and Breuning 2003). However, these studies have focused largely on using thepolitical science curriculum as an independent variable (i.e., affecting student outcomes)and in most cases have been limited to one or two institutions (with the exception ofIshiyama 2004). No study has broadly and systematically examinedvariations in curricular design across several institutions, nor has any study examinedwhich factors affect how institutions have structured their majors in the way they have. This paper addresses this dearth by broadly surveying a number ofliberal arts and sciences colleges and universities across 10 Midwestern states (Illinois,Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin) todetermine how many political science programs structure their majors in ways according tothe recommendations made by the Wahlke report.

Preparing for retirement is a multifaceted endeavor, varying according to individual and experience. In my particular case, I did not develop a specific retirement strategy which I can articulate today as the Prestage Plan for “how a female political science professor can fade into oblivion after 48 years in the profession.” Rather, What Was Planned—that is, the content of my remarks today—can best be described as What Happened. For me, what can be labeled as “Strategy” for the purposes of this roundtable is an ex post facto matter. That is, I must try to recall and reconstruct the retirement experience as it happened, and put some logical order to it, or try to.

Political science undergraduate students often have a difficult time understanding theprocesses and methods of social science research. The foci of courses in comparativepolitics such as Latin American Politics or European Politics are typically descriptiveinformation, concepts and theories, and an overview of the principal debates and researchfindings. This stands in sharp contrast to undergraduate pedagogy in the natural sciences,where laboratory sections supplement classroom activities. For example, biology studentslearn the basics of the discipline in the classroom, and simultaneously use the tools andmethods of scientists in the lab to replicate elementary experiments. This multi-methodapproach not only reinforces the students' understanding of biological concepts, but alsogives them an appreciation for how their professors spend their time and the challenges,pleasures, and limitations of academic research.

People in political science.

After spending six years as a tenure-track faculty member andultimately gaining tenure and promotion at my home institution ofCalifornia State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), I was set to beginmy first sabbatical in fall, 2002. As is no doubt true of manysabbaticals, one of the great successes of my semester-long breakfrom teaching was a renewed interest in the classroom. “Renewal” isfrequently identified as one of the primary purposes of asabbatical; Good (1992, B3), after all,wrote that he became “surprisingly nostalgic for the company ofstudents once the initial shock of being on leave ha[d] worn off.”But my renewed excitement for teaching came largely from once againentering the classroom as a student. Given my own experiences inreturning to student life, I enthusiastically encourage facultycolleagues to take occasional opportunities to step away from theinstructor's podium and enjoy a class as a member of the studentbody: not only did I have the opportunity to expand my perspectiveon interesting subject matter, but re-experiencing life from thestudent point of view reminded me of why I began teaching in thefirst place and reinforced important aspects of good teachingpractices.[Editor's note: Thismanuscript was accepted for publication by PS: PoliticalScience and Politics in September, 2004.]

The last vote was counted in the 2004 presidential election and olddebates began anew about the causes of low turnout of those betweenthe ages of 18 and 24. Despite an unprecedented amount of time andeffort spent on turning out the youth vote, the data suggest thatonly about half of the eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24cast a vote for president. The good news is that, indeed, thisyear's figures reverse a downward trend in voter turnout amongst theyouth; the bad news is that every age bracket increased in votingand youth voting still lagged behind other age groups by significantmargins. Scholars have once again cited evidence of political apathyand alienation among young people; they have referred to studiesthat reveal widespread ignorance of American politics and history inour nation's high schools and colleges. Dire predictions willcontinue about the bleak future of American democracy due to theostensible lack of knowledge and interest in the American politicalsystem among our newest voters. Despite studies showing increases involunteerism, service, and civic engagement, the low voter turnoutwill dominate the debate about civic education.The authors would like to thank David A. Caputo,president of Pace University, for funding PC2004.

One of the main goals of the Committee on the Status of Blacks (CSB) is to assess how well African-American political scientists are faring in the discipline. Given the nature of the academy, we believe an important element for success is effective mentoring. Our position is supported by the American Political Science Association (APSA) which established a Task Force on Mentoring in 2002 to address issues facing underrepresented groups within the profession. One of the initiatives is a Mentor Database designed to connect interested minority graduate students and minority faculty with political scientists who are willing to share their experiences and knowledge and give their advice and council to participants. The Committee is supportive of this initiative whose goal is to help underrepresented groups have satisfying professional careers.

Conrad Joyner, an astute observer, gifted teacher, and effectivepractitioner of the art of politics, passed away February 8, 2005,in Tucson, Arizona. Born October 21, 1931, he graduated from EarlhamCollege in 1953 and received his Ph.D. from the University ofFlorida in 1957. He taught political science at West VirginiaUniversity and the University of Southwestern Louisiana beforearriving at the University of Arizona in 1961 for what would turnout to be a long and colorful career. He retired from the Universityof Arizona in 1992.

Teachers of international relations and comparative politics spend a considerable amountof time looking for ways to bring the politics of the world outside of the United Statesinto their classroom to enhance student learning experiences through increased relevance or“reality.” Simulations are one method to make world politics seem more relevant (e.g.,Dougherty 2003; Kille 2002; Shellman 2001; McIntosh 2001; Newmann and Twigg 2000; Kaarbo and Lantis 1997; Smith andBoyer 1996). The use of film is another popular method thatenhances the drama and emotion of foreign cultures and politics (e.g., Waalkes 2003; Weber 2001; Kuzma and Haney 2001).Finally, the Internet and web-based technologies (e.g., Cogburn and Levinson 2003; Hauss et al. 2002; Bonham and Seifert 2000) and foreign newspapers (e.g., Schattle 2003) are also employed to connect textbook knowledge to the real world of foreignaffairs.

This symposium stemmed from a 2002 panel at the APSA Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Thepanel discussed the major professional contributions of several political scientists whograduated between 1935 and 1955. They attended graduate school during “separate but equal”in many Southern states. Yet, they achieved and made major contributions at many black andwhite universities. Many black students were motivated to study political science, entergraduate school, and pursue a pivotal career in political science and law. The preponderanceof these early political scientists was employed at black or African-American universities.They established strong programs at these institutions and encouraged students to pursuedegrees in political science and law.

The Association's 2005 Nominating Committee convened at the nationaloffice and agreed upon the following slate of officers and Councilmembers. Members of the Association will have an opportunity to meetthe nominees at the 2005 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.Elections will be held at the Business Meeting on Saturday,September 3. The Annual Meeting Final Program will have the roomlocation for each event. Procedures for nominations from the floorare set down in Article V (1,2) of the APSA Constitution.

Political scientists commonly use their courses to emphasize thepervasive nature of collective action problems, whereby groupinterests are undermined by individual incentives to “defect” or“free ride.” In a graduate seminar a faculty member may havestudents read classics in this area, such as Mancur Olson'sThe Logic of Collective Action (1965). Graduate students are often expectedto model a collective action problem as a prisoner's dilemma and beable to understand the implications in such areas as establishmentof interest groups, voting turnout, budgeting, and militaryrelationships among nations. Even in lower division undergraduatecourses political science instructors may integrate concepts fromcollective action theory. This orientation is also evident in sometextbooks. Thus in their introduction to American politics, SamuelKernell and Gary C. Jacobson (2003) offeran extensive discussion of collective action problems and the roleof government, and return repeatedly to this topic throughout theirbook. Similarly, a focus on collective action problems is at theheart of Walter Stone's introductory American politics text,Republic at Risk (1990).

Community engagement through service learning has become well institutionalized in American education, yet there has been considerable debate over its effectiveness, especially with regard to its impact on explicitly political engagement. While participation in community service and volunteerism clearly has a positive impact on the propensity of young people to dedicate themselves to further service, the evidence of the effects of service on political engagement is, at best, mixed.

People in Political Science.

The pioneering career of Ralph Johnson Bunche in political science can only be brieflysummarized in this limited space. Fortunately, an increasing number of works published inthe last decade are rescuing his legacy for new generations. I have chosen to focus mycomments on three aspects of his career: his education, his contributions to HowardUniversity, and his contributions to the discipline of political science. (For hiscontributions to the APSA, see Henry 1983.)

International news.

Debates over methodology have long occupied a prominent role in political science and its various empirical sub-fields. Recently, these debates and occasional dialogues seem to have intensified. The Perestroika movement within APSA protested the perceived hegemony of rational choice and quantitative methods in journal publications and graduate training (Kasza 2001). Renewed attention has focused on the types of methodologies employed by studies published in the discipline's leading journals (Garand and Giles 2003; Bennett, Barth, and Rutherford 2003; Braumoeller 2003). The kinds of concerns over methodological diversity that motivate these studies also inform discussions about graduate training (Alvarez 1992; Dyer 1992; Schwartz-Shea 2003; Morrow 2003; Smith 2003).