Submissions Now Open! 2026 APSA Virtual Research Meeting Research Group Workshop Proposals | Deadline: January 15th | Submit Proposals Now! »

Submit your TLC at APSA Proposals now! TLC at APSA aims to promote scholarly reflection and dissemination of tools, strategies, and pedagogical approaches that enable educators to develop and promote inclusive and democratic forms of political science.

Testing the Strategic Simultaneity Conundrum: Insights into Crisis Management from a Classroom Simulation By Gorana Grgić, Sascha Nanlohy and Anastasiya Byesyedina, The University of Sydney This article examines a large classroom simulation that placed students in the roles of EU and NATO leaders confronting simultaneous crises in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait. Designed to test how future practitioners prioritize under pressure, the exercise combined expert briefings and scholarship with the practical demands of negotiation, coalition-building, and scarce resources.

The Impact of Video Games on the Effectiveness of a Political Science Course By Patricia Otero-Felipe and Athénaïs Marianne Sauvée, University of Burgos  This study, published in the Journal of Political Science Education, examines the use of video games in a Political Parties course at the University of Burgos, Spain. Using a randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-tests, students played either Onslaught Arena (action) or Infinite Mario (platform), both adapted to include identical political science content.

The APSA Nominating Committee welcomes your suggestions for individuals to be considered for APSA Council positions in the 2026 elections. Submit your suggestions by February 13, 2026. In accordance with APSA Bylaws, the Nominating Committee hopes to present a slate of accomplished scholars and practitioners who reflect the broad membership of APSA. To achieve this goal, they partly rely on the membership to forward suggestions and recommendations.

Call for Proposals Open 2026 APSA Department Chairs Mini-Conference Theme: Strengthening Political Science Departments 2026 APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition Friday, September 4, 2026 | Boston, MA…

Using Community-Based Research to Encourage Student Engagement with Local Government By Tim Meinke, University of Lynchburg The case study in this article explores the use of a community-based research assignment to promote civic engagement.  The author argues that the lessons learned are relevant for any social science class in any sized public or private institution interested in increasing civic engagement.

Submissions Now Open! 2026 APSA Virtual Research Meeting Research Group Workshop Proposals | Deadline: January 15th | Submit Proposals Now! »

Submissions Now Open! 2026 APSA Virtual Research Meeting Research Group Workshop Proposals | Deadline: January 15th | Submit Proposals Now! »

Why I’m Doubling Down on Deliberative Pedagogy By J. Cherie Strachan, University of Akron Political scientists increasingly turn to civic engagement pedagogy to bolster their students’ democratic capacity. Choices are myriad, as civic engagement pedagogy has expanded beyond its original focus on service learning to encompass a wide array of high impact practices and experiential learning. The most relevant of these in the current political environment is deliberative pedagogy, as it has the greatest potential to scaffold essential civic skills, build trust, bolster civic identity, and broaden political engagement.

Conflating Lobbying and PACs: The Surprisingly Low Overlap in Organizational Lobbying and Campaign Expenditures By Alexander C. Furnas, Northwestern University, Timothy M. LaPira, James Madison University, and Clare Brock, Colorado State University This article investigates whether campaign contributions and lobbying are complementary, substitutive, or distinct forms of organizational political engagement. Our study reveals minimal overlap between organizations that engage in lobbying and those that make campaign contributions despite the perception that these activities are interchangeable forms of “money in politics.” Using comprehensive contribution and lobbying report data from 1998 to 2018, we find that most politically active organizations focus exclusively on either lobbying or making campaign contributions.

Submit your 2026 proposals now! The American Political Science Association (APSA) invites proposals for the 122nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 3–6, 2026, to address the latest scholarship in political science and explore this year’s conference theme, “Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild.”

Statistical Intuition without Coding (or Teachers) By Natalie Ayers, Harvard University, Gary King, Harvard University, Zagreb Mukerjee, Yale University, and Dominic Skinnion, Harvard University Teaching political methodology classes typically requires a set of technical, instructor-led lectures on sophisticated statistical concepts (such as probability modeling, inference, and proper interpretation), followed by chances for students to iteratively adjust methodological specifications, parameters, and data sets so they can understand how each combination affects the results.

Student Choice in Assessment: Is There a Subject-Specific Case for Using Assessment Optionality in Political Science Education? By Jeremy F. G. Moulton, University of York Giving students choice in how they are assessed, known as assessment optionality, is an innovation in assessment that has gained attention in recent years for its potential for improving inclusivity and engagement in teaching and learning.

In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Ximena Caló, covers the new article by Vincent Heddesheimer, Princeton University , Hanno Hilbig, University Of California, Davis And Erik Voeten, Georgetown University, "The Green Transition and Political Polarization Along Occupational Lines". Why do workers in carbon-intensive industries gravitate toward far-right parties that oppose climate action?

Risk and Realism: Using a Board Game Mobile App to Illustrate an International Relations Theory By Petra Hendrickson, Northern Michigan University When introducing students to broad theoretical frameworks, simulations and games can help to make theoretical concepts clearer. One example is the use of the mobile app for the board game Risk to illustrate many of the concepts associated with realism.

The Advantages of taking the Long View: American Political Development and Higher Education By Julie L. Novkov, University at Albany Tim Kaufman-Osborn’s book (2023), The Autocratic Academy: Reenvisioning Rule within America’s Universities, is a powerful contribution to a growing literature on contemporary higher education in the United States. The field of critical university studies rests on a consensus that American universities are in a crisis provoked by a confrontation between timeless values and the exigencies of survival in a capitalist framework of education as a commodity (Boggs and Mitchell 

Call for Proposals Open 2026 APSA Department Chairs Mini-Conference Theme: Strengthening Political Science Departments 2026 APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition Friday, September 4, 2026 | Boston, MA…

Applications for the 2026-2027 APSA-sponsored fellowship are now open! Click below to apply. Call for Applications: Journalism Fellow Application;

In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Raymundo Lopez, covers the new article by Amanda Sahar d’Urso, Georgetown University, "What Happens When You Can’t Check the Box? Categorization Threat and Public Opinion among Middle Eastern and North African Americans". Why the Census Matters…

Empowering Students to Have Difficult Conversations By Ioana Emy Matesan, Wesleyan University Classroom discussions of current events and controversial topics can devolve into unproductive and highly charged debates. This article describes an in-class exercise used to foster respect during difficult conversations by encouraging students to design rules for discussions and guidelines to create a safe space for dialogue. This activity relies on three underlying principles: trust, empowerment, and empathy.

Finding the “Field” in our “Homes” and our “Homes” in the “Field”: A Critique of the “Home–Field” Dichotomy By Marnie Howlett, University of Oxford, and Lauren C. Konken, University of British Columbia The “home–field” dichotomy has long been a core assumption of fieldwork in political science. As in other social science disciplines, political scientists rely on these categories to contextualize our research within particular time–space nexuses and to separate our personal lives and private dwellings and institutions from our sources, participants, and broader research environments.

Submit your proposals now for the American Political Science Association's (APSA) 122nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition, held in Boston, Massachusetts, September 3–6, 2026, to address the latest scholarship in political science and explore this year’s conference theme, “Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild.”