Teaching and Professional Practice

M03 - Teaching in Political Science

Date: May 30 | Time: 10:30am to 12:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 431 Room ID:15709

Chair/Président/Présidente : Charles Smith (University of Saskatchewan)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Jeanette Ashe (Douglas College, BC)

The Use of the Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (SPSD/M) of Statistics Canada in Political Science: An Experiment in the Classroom: Geneviève Tellier (Université d'Ottawa)
Abstract: Over the last 30 years, Statistics Canada has maintained a database and a software that allow researchers to examine the impact that various fiscal policies might have on the size and composition of federal and provincial government budgets as well as on the revenues of individuals and households. This dataset (Social Policy Simulation Database and Model (SPSD/M)) is particularly well suited to examine the redistributive effect of taxes and transfers on individual wealth, as it can also be used to analyze how different demographic groups can be affected by a government program (either already implemented or not). As gender-based budgeting is gaining in popularity, the SPSD/M is an analytical tool for anyone interested in the analysis of public policy. Although the SPSD/M is used by several governments (provincial governments as well as federal departments and agencies) and research groups (advocacy groups, think tanks, etc.) it remains underused by academics, whether for research purposes or as a teaching object. Over the course of the 2017-2018 academic year, we have developed and tested a set of learning tools designed to teach how to use this dataset and its related software to undergraduate students. These students were enrolled in public administration and political science programs. After describing the SPSD/M, our presentation will present these learning tools and will offer some reflections based on our experiment using them in the classroom.

Presumptions of Knowledge in the Teaching of (Academic) International Relations: Jeffrey Rice (Queen's University)
Abstract: Teaching international relations, and politics more generally, requires the instilling of knowledge to students in order for them to be able to contextualize, theorize, and appreciate core concepts. A diversity of pedagogical approaches highlights a variety of methods for teaching the foundational theories and concepts of international relations. Less attention is paid, however, to teaching students at the undergraduate level about the academic world in which IR scholarship is being produced. From the basics of how to read and navigate academic articles, to presumptions of knowledge about the peer-review process, and of learning more generally, students are frequently thrust into the academic world without having a guide to navigate that world. This article, therefore, helps fill some of the gaps in students’ knowledge in terms of basic academic skills. The impetus behind this article comes from experience from five years of teaching tutorials as a Teaching Assistant and over two years of teaching fourth year seminars as a Teaching Fellow. This article outlines a number of practical exercises that can be adapted to the tutorial, seminar, and lecture settings to help undergraduate students better understand the world in which IR scholarship is produced.