Government and Politics

Abstract: Political science is a challenging field, particularly when it comes to undergraduate teaching.  If we are to engage in something more than uncritical ideological “instruction, it demands from the student a willingness to approach alien political ideas with intellectual generosity.  Yet students within introductory classes often harbor inherited notions of what the ideal political system ought to be.  This attachment to the proper meaning of core political ideas may stultify their consideration of alternative formulations of these concepts.  In a related vein, recent research within educational and cognitive psychology examines “automatic thinking” as a prevailing dimension of human cognition.  In many instances, researchers find that seemingly thoughtful activity actually draws upon long-settled previous learning so routine and scripted that “true” thinking becomes unnecessary.  In order to gain new knowledge, as well as a critical and reflexive understanding of oneself and others, recent research in this vein has advocated the value of exposure to ideas and experience which destabilize these understandings.  In order to apply these insights in relation to our field this study is an attempt to offer political science educators: 1) a more precise sense of how such “automatic thinking” operates at a cognitive psychological level, 2) descriptive empirical documentation of what pre-existing frames are widespread within the American undergraduate community, and 3) a sketch of ways in which educators might confront “automatic thinking” in the classroom.

"As educators, we employ a variety of “texts” in the classroom for the purposes of exposing students to narratives of injustice, political struggle, power and domination, and democratic contestation. Textbooks and lecture constitute one such text. Yet what is noteworthy in human history is the tremendous power of literature, film, and other forms of narrative to elevate our understanding of an injustice, of human suffering and humiliation, while igniting the desire to alleviate such societal shortcomings. The educational intent of such mediums is, almost by definition, less implicit than more traditional materials yet their power to move the “reader” is often more profound. Furthermore, as technological media proliferate, we potentially gain still more mechanisms through which to teach our students about their contemporary political realities.

Thus, literature, film, and new forms of media and technology present tremendous opportunities for teaching students about politics. Yet the concrete ways that we might utilize such “texts” within our classrooms remain under-researched in scholarship on teaching and learning. How might we structure our engagement with “non-traditional texts” such as literature, film, art, and new media in ways that maximize their potential to spur critical thinking and intellectual growth among our students? What challenges and obstacles accompany such pedagogical methods? These questions have yet to be dealt with in a systematic way, and in the absence of such systematic treatment, educators looking to embrace new mediums must deploy such strategies using a painstaking process of trial and error.

With these opportunities and gaps in mind, we are assembling an edited volume on the use of literature, film, and new media (broadly defined) in pedagogy of courses on political issues. Specifically, we are collecting chapter-length pieces that examine innovative and non-traditional “texts” within college and university classrooms including: literature, art, film, television, theatre and role-playing, music, as well as internet resources and social networking media. We envision this volume to be a compendium for those seeking to teach politics in new and engaging ways, utilizing novel texts and media in order to do so."