Teaching Freshmen Political Science Majors: Is Research a Useful Strategy?

What is it about?

Having been presented the opportunity to teach a special section of American and Texas Government for new freshman majors, my first goal was to find ways to enhance and enrich the academic and intellectual experience of my students. My thoughts turned right away to undergraduate research and the many benefits it provides, as pointed out by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council on Undergraduate Research, and the National Collegiate Honors Council, among others. Thinking that my students deserved these opportunities, and that research was important to students majoring in political science, I wrote assignments that seemed right for the course. Now, with two years of experience with such sections, I am sharing lessons I have learned, from the need to be mindful of the time demands one places on new freshmen to recognition that the term research is unfamiliar and lacking in meaning to most students. Teaching the class for majors has been a rewarding experience for many reasons, among them the opportunities it provided for the instructor to gain new insights and understanding.

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Why is it important?

Teaching effectiveness is at the top of my list of professorial goals. After years in the classroom, there are still new things to be learned by those who wish to become better teachers and provide more meaningful classroom experiences for students.