Creating A Culturally Responsive Undergraduate Political Science Class

• In Event: TLC at APSA Diversity & Inclusion Track Panel 1: Identities in the Political Science Classroom

Abstract

One way to increase democratic knowledge among undergraduate political science students is to present material in ways that are culturally responsive to as many students as possible. But for faculty this can feel like a choice between presenting the discipline requirements for the graduate school bound and a desire to teach while promoting diverse and inclusive material. Teaching classes in political science, the subfield of international relations, to undergraduate students often follows a designated pattern: use the authors accepted as “canon”, focus on the reigning theories, move on to discuss the actors and institutions, then apply what is learned to today’s issues and challenges. Any alternative voices may be presented at the end after the discipline’s foundation is established. This framework reinforces the patterns of the discipline. But the established pattern can also feel exclusive to students. This research will show that the choice does not have to be an either/or prospect. This case study proposes an alternative pattern that meets the needs of the graduate school bound while integrating culturally responsive pedagogy and material. In order to do this, an International Law course calendar was divided into two sections; the first to focus on global human rights and the second to focus on global climate change. In each half, diverse voices were added to speak into the challenges and issues of those subjects. Then the “typical” topics, discipline material, and authors were wrapped into the new format. Anonymous student comments on the course evaluation suggest that most students saw this redesign as beneficial. This research shows that it is possible to teach a culturally responsive upper division undergraduate class while also meeting the requirements for the graduate school bound.

Author

• Ruth M. Ediger, Seattle Pacific University