Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone: Improv and Learning the IR Theories

• In Event: TLC at APSA: Thinking Outside the Box to Increase Student Engagement

Abstract

In thinking of improvisation, one normally thinks of comedy, theater, or even troupes like The Second City, but not necessarily teaching political science. I’m interested in how students respond to innovative ways of learning and took a page out of my theater colleague’s playbook. Are these improv-based ways of learning useful for students outside of the arts? More specifically, does improv in the classroom aid in students’ understanding of the international relation theories like realism, liberalism, constructivism, and feminism? This research question will be explored using data collected during the fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Students enrolled in sections of POSC 230: Introduction to World Politics were asked to do a pre-survey, participate in an improv activity known as “one-word-at-a-time,” and take a post-survey.

Author

• Carrie R Humphreys, University of Tennessee, Martin