A Demographic Shift in Political Science Students

• In Event: Reassessing the Political Science Major

Abstract

Higher education in the United States is going through a transformative period. Based on WICHE”s research (and data) entitled Knocking on the College Door, the academy will have to adapt to more first-generation, underrepresented students (FGUS) in the next decade. As United States higher education moves from the gilded age to a more challenging one, this research examines how the changing demographics of American college students will influence how political science faculty teach their classes. It will explore pedagogical strategies that will help political science students, faculty, and departments succeed in the new academic climate (e.g., subject matter, cultural transitions, early alerts, more gradable events, and on and on).

Author

• John R. Hermann, Trinity University