Addressing the Politicisation of (Teaching and Learning) Political Science?

Contemporary politics is marred with contention. Students’ understanding of the world has also marinated in a heavily polarised society, drawing stark barriers between increasingly divided communities (Santos, 2020). Be it the war in Ukraine, the interpretation and appreciation of what is considered ‘woke’, the boundaries between (Norris, 2024) or the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Middle East. University campuses, particularly those where political science is taught, have transformed from places of learning to protest grounds with encampments, boycotts, and sometimes even open conflict. While this can harbour a useful learning opportunity (Clancy & Bauer, 2018) or develop into a pedagogy of protest (Basch, 2023), it also raises many pertinent questions about our roles as educationalists and the position of our discipline within the university and its broader social environment. Similarly, we are confronted with a growing digital polarisation of (the production of) knowledge and knowing. Students' apprehension of the world is largely influenced by the digital sources they consume. Algorithms have created echo chambers, reinforcing existing beliefs while mocking alternative points of view. The emergence of GenAI in higher education has greatly increased the need for critical engagements with such sources (Shalevska, 2024). Still, at the moment, it has mostly caused a frantic overhaul of existing assessment methods (Luo, 2024 ). Both processes have major implications for the teaching and learning of political sciences. How do we deal with (international) crises in our classrooms and our campuses? How do we create a classroom where respectful discussion can still take place? Do we offer students the necessary skills to navigate a digital world where it is increasingly difficult to identify information that is trustful and truthful? For this section, we invite paper and panel submissions that speak to the theme of Teaching and Learning Political Science in an increasingly politicised environment. We plan to explore this theme in various panels and formats. Suggestive panel topics: 1. The politicised classroom: Chair: Hillary Briffa (King's College London) This panel aims to identify pedagogies suited to address sensitive, contemporary topics in the classroom in a constructive way. How to balance student well-being with resilience? How to address group-think or introduce alternative perspectives? 2. Teaching with(out) Gen-AI: Chair: Alexandra Mihai (Maastricht University) How does the emergence of Gen-AI affect political science teaching & learning? Beyond studies looking into our assessment practices, we particularly welcome contributions that explore how to train students in the necessary genAI skills. 3. Higher Education: Fire in the Ivory tower? Chair: Aline Felder (University of Sankt Gallen) (co-sponsored with the ECPR SG Knowledge Politics and Policies How do universities cope with the growing contention on their campuses? What is the role of student voice? How have governments & civil society responded to the politicised campus? 4. Decolonising the curriculum: Chair:Stephan Engelkamp (King's College London) This panel invites contributions that examine the possibilities and challenges of decolonizing the political science curriculum. We seek to explore how curricula, syllabi or teaching activities can be reshaped to include a broader range of perspectives—incorporating theories, histories, and methodologies from the Global South, Indigenous knowledge systems, and other marginalized voices. What are the practical and theoretical considerations involved in such an effort, and how can we measure its impact on students’ understanding of global political dynamics? 5. Active learning: Chairs: Jennifer Ostojski (Colgate University) & Simon Usherwood (Open University) How can active learning pedagogies —such as role-playing, mock elections, policy simulations, debates or games—be leveraged to help students experience and engage with political concepts in more dynamic ways? Should they be adapted to cope with an increasingly politicised teaching environment? Are they effective means to address contemporary challenges? 6. Supporting Students in Higher Education: Chairs Dale Mineshima-Lowe (Parami University) and Alistair Jones (De Montfort University) Higher education institutions today are embedded in discussions about supporting students. The key question is ‘how?’ This panel aims to bring together contributions that foster discussions about what supporting students within higher education means and looks like. It showcases a range of teaching practices and provides new opportunities to examine how creating an environment where students feel and are supported, matters. With consideration given, for example, to the context of each student arriving at university. Other themes that can be explored in panels and paper contributions include innovative teaching practices, feedback & assessment, course design, or classroom management like supporting neurodivergent students. References: Basch, A.(2023) The Pedagogy of Protest: Extra-Institutional Learning in the Black Lives Matter Movement. UCLA Doctoral Dissertation Clancy, K. A., & Bauer, K. (2018). Creating Student-Scholar-Activists: Discourse Instruction and Social Justice in Political Science Classrooms. New Political Science, 40(3), 542–557. https://doi.org/10.1080/07393148.2018.1489091 Luo, J. (2024). A critical review of GenAI policies in higher education assessment: a call to reconsider the “originality” of students’ work . Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 49(5), 651–664. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2309963 Norris, P. (2024). Cancel culture: Heterodox self-censorship or the curious case of the dog which didn’t bark. International Political Science Review, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121241269157 Santos, J. L. (2020). Anxiety and learning: Cultural polarisation in social science courses. Learning and Teaching, 13(2), 62-84. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2020.130205 Shalevska, E. (2024). The Future of Political Discourse: AI and Media Literacy Education. Journal of Legal and Political Education, 1(1), 50-61 .https://www.doi.org/10.47305/JLPE2411050sh