Inclusive Political Science Pedagogy

Teacher-scholars, staff, and administrators at universities are called upon to step to the forefront of higher education’s civic engagement movement (CEM). In the next iteration of the CEM, it is imperative to build on past successes but to also address how our increasingly diverse students in higher education inherently adapt education and educational contexts. For example, as more first-generation students enter higher education institutions, teacher-scholars must prepare to work with more students who do not have family pre-knowledge and experiences to guide and support them. Further, as many of these students have experienced and may be continuing to experience racial, ethnic, and/or gender discrimination, teacher-scholars and administrators must prepare these students to operate in societal, political, and economic contexts which may not respect, acknowledge, or protect their rights or in a cultural context with elements that are actively seeking to curtail or eliminate their rights. Equal rights for all is a cornerstone of democracy. Teacher-scholars and administrators need support, examples, and literature to grow and tailor our pedagogies and learning outcomes to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse array of students who face rapidly changing political environments.