Linking academic study and practice

Professor John Craig

Teaching politics in our universities

18th September 2015

Two Questions

Why? How?

Why is this a question that we are even asking?

Why?

Fundamental Tension

Politics as Practice Study of

Politics

English Elite Model

A “belief that a liberal elite education could best be acquired through acquaintance with the political philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, coupled with a knowledge of the history of the political systems of Athens and Rome, survived the second world war” (Haywood 1991)

American Civic Model

Education to equip citizens to participate in society through the development of:• The ability to reason and makes

judgements • Knowledge of public institutions• A normative commitment to liberal

democracy

Professional Model

Recognition of the need for education for bureaucrats and public officials, but influenced by:• Wilsonian separation of politics and

administration• Breach of the boundaries of the discipline

of political studies/science

The mid-century fall…

• The rise of value free social science and behavioralism in the 1950s challenges the humanistic, civic and professional traditions

• Over the next half-century further theoretical and methodological developments intensify these trends

• “countless articles and books of self-serving theory… exclusionary jargon and esoteric algebra… isolate the political science community” (Robinson 2000)

• Inherent tensions between the empirical study of actually existing political processes and normative positions – the ‘tragedy of political science’ (Ricci 1984)

• Diamond (1977) the tension is what makes our discipline distinct – embrace it and explore the contradictions

• Multiple other versions of this relationship periodically advocated and practiced by academics, students and government

• Finally, the extent of the break can be over-emphasised – critical and analytic political science produces critical and analytical citizens (Leiserson 1965)

The mid-century fall…

Reconsidering why?

To prepare students to undertake roles as active citizens, public officials or political leaders

Which requires:• Being clear what each of these involves• Acknowledging and living within the tension

between study and practice• Academics and students engaging with the

normative underpinnings

How can we link academic study and practice in politics?

How?

Four Dimensions

Who are the learners?

What is taught?

How is it taught?

Who are the teachers?

Learners and Curriculum

Students on non-vocational courses such as BA Politics• Typically broad based introductions to the discipline within an

college or university environment

Students on vocationally oriented educational courses • Masters in Public Administration

Student involved in role related education• Wrage (2012) – US Midshipmen • Brown and Syme-Taylor (2012) – Military officers in UK• Hemery (2002) – career diplomats• Hale (2013) – local elected councilors• Pidani (1999) – elected members of parliament

Why do practitioners need political science?• Traditional rationale around technical experts being

promoted into roles with policy responsibilities.• In public service, changing relationships between the

state and citizens (Quinn 2013)• In military, diplomatic and security contexts – changing

environment with the end of the cold war, war of global terrorism, nation building and conflict resolution (Klinger 2004)

• Partial reversal of the ‘need more skills’ argument for undergraduates – these are often ‘need more theory’ justifications

How is it taught?

Taking

learning out

Brining

Practice in

Taking Learning Out

• Placement learning typically full-time students working in a political environment for a period of time

• Opportunities to experience ‘real world of politics’ and develop relevant skills

• Engagement of practitioner as ‘teachers’• Different placements emphasize

leadership, citizenship or professional elements

Effective Placement Learning

• Experience is transformed into knowledge through the process of critical reflection

• Students need to make between their experiences and their learning, through teaching and assessment (Usher 1993)

• Strategies include: research reports linked to placement; assignment briefs requiring use of theory to assess practice; action research project.

Bringing Practice In

• Approaches include simulations and case-based learning

• Learning activities in which students engage with problem-based scenarios, typically working in groups to develop a position or take a decision within a constrained context

• Greater emphasis in simulation on fidelity of experience

• Both attempt to bring an experience of practice into the classroom

Examples

SAP Budget Simulation• 1.5 days• Students grouped in

team roles • Extensive preparation

with paper and video resources

• Set-piece budget negotiation at end of process

School Closure CBL• 2hrs• Groups are not

differentiated• Brief and simplified

materials• Reporting of decision

within teaching context

Advantages

• Effective active learning approaches within the educational setting

• Controlled setting for learning• Typically lower set-up costs for staff and

students• Scope for innovation - Cowley & Stuart

(2015) example of a politician participating in a classroom simulation

Challenges

• Set-up and organisation• Appropriate assessment for learning• Validity of the experience – what does it

teach students?• Integration into learning – what are the

intended outcomes and implicit messages?

57 Varieties…

• Guest lectures from activists, officials and politicians

• Field trips for students to visit parliaments, council chambers or campaign groups

• Courses that explicitly teach students political skills – Kiernan (2012) ‘how to protest’

• Courses that use ‘live’ events in teaching or assessment

Conclusions

• The relationship between the study and practice of politics is contested and is in the DNA of the discipline

• There is wide range of innovative practice in diverse settings that can inform what we do

• But the ‘why’ cannot be escaped – what is it that we are aiming to achieve?

• And this is a question of politics and political theory more than of educational practice

Thank you for listening

Any questions?