Giving It the Old College Try: Academic Departments and Undergraduate Curriculum Change in Political Science, 2009-2019

Autor/inn/en	McClellan, E. Fletcher; Kopko, Kyle C.; Hafler, Amanda
Titel	Giving It the Old College Try: Academic Departments and Undergraduate Curriculum Change in Political Science, 2009-2019
Quelle	In: Journal of Political Science Education, 19 (2023) 4, S.580-599 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (McClellan, E. Fletcher)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1551-2169
DOI	10.1080/15512169.2023.2186240
Schlagwörter	Departments; Undergraduate Study; College Curriculum; Curriculum Development; Educational Change; Political Science; Civics; Majors (Students) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Department; Abteilung; Grundstudium; Curriculum; Development; Curriculumentwicklung; Lehrplan; Entwicklung; Bildungsreform; Staatslehre; Politikwissenschaft; Politische Wissenschaft; Staatsbürgerkunde
Abstract	Thirty years after the last APSA-sponsored recommendations on the structure of the undergraduate political science major, new efforts at curriculum reform are under way. As a prelude to how the profession might respond, this article examines how political science departments made undergraduate curriculum changes during the 2010s. Based on a survey of department chairs in 2019-2020 (prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.), one-half of political science programs changed major requirements in the previous five years and 70% made revisions during the decade. Most changes involved adding courses or tracks and modifying course sequences within the prevailing model of subfield distribution. Assuming departments are rational actors seeking to improve student learning and respond effectively to the educational marketplace, various explanations of curriculum change were tested. Structural variables (institutional type and departmental factors) had no significant effects. Nevertheless, the survey revealed learning-based (acquiring disciplinary knowledge, developing intellectual skills) and market-based (concern about enrollments) motivations for change, as well as institutional constraints. Among curricular alternatives to the distribution model, evidence indicated greater support for promoting liberal learning outcomes. Moreover, the civic engagement movement influenced departmental decision-making. However, few programs made curriculum changes related to diversity, equity, or social justice, notable concerns among students and within the discipline. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01