Teaching Critical Thinking in Political Science

by Jonathan Olsen (Editor), Vivienne Born (Editor)

Overview

This illuminating book provides an overview of best practices to introduce and develop critical thinking (CT) skills in the political science classroom. Featuring contributions from leading experts in a range of academic positions and subdisciplines, it presents perspectives from the various institutional settings that characterize contemporary higher education.

Chapters are organized into four key parts, covering themes such as writing and activities to promote CT, simulations, countering cognitive bias and how to foster CT in different educational environments. Contributors discuss detailed pedagogies and examples, from the use of internet memes to combat cognitive bias to classroom simulations that model how EU institutions function. The book outlines how these strategies can enable the development of problem-solving skills and the ability to approach complex issues from diverse viewpoints.

Teaching Critical Thinking in Political Science is an essential resource for instructors of political science, political theory and public policy. Its evidence-based, practical insights will be invaluable to classroom practitioners who are looking to innovate their curriculum and pedagogy while fostering transferrable critical thinking skills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781035327539
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	09/28/2025
Series:	Elgar Guides to Teaching
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edited by Jonathan Olsen, Department Chair and Professor of Political Science and Vivienne Born, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Department of Social Sciences and Historical Studies, Texas Woman's University, USA

Table of Contents

Contents
1 Teaching critical thinking in political science: an introduction 1
Jonathan Olsen and Vivienne Born
PART I WRITING/ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE CT
2 Introduction to Part I – writing/activities for promoting CT 13
Jonathan Olsen and Vivienne Born
3 Writing pedagogy to accelerate student success as
disciplinary writers and thinkers 16
Michele Calderon
4 Critical complements: combining writing and group
discussion activities to help students engage with empirical
evidence 36
Sarah Maxey and Steffen Blings
5 How to value critical thinking in the political science
classroom 47
John LaForest Phillips
PART II SIMULATIONS
6 Introduction to Part II − simulations 63
Jonathan Olsen and Vivienne Born
7 Simulations and jurisprudence 67
Robbin Smith
8 Simulating the European Union 79
John McCormick
PART III CT AND COUNTERING COGNITIVE BIAS
9 Introduction to Part III – CT and countering cognitive bias 90
Jonathan Olsen and Vivienne Born
10 Critical thinking and media literacy in an age of
misinformation 93
Terry Gilmour
11 Using internet memes to combat cognitive bias 105
Dominic D. Wells
12 The ALDAMA method: teaching the relationship between
religion and politics in Middle East courses and the Iran case 116
Marina Díaz-Sanz and Lucía Ferreiro Prado
PART IV FOSTERING CT IN DIFFERENT CLASSROOM SETTINGS
13 Introduction to Part IV – fostering critical thinking in
different classroom settings 129
Jonathan Olsen and Vivienne Born
14 Short in-class activities to promote critical thinking 132
Charity Butcher
15 Designing critical thinking activities for the large lecture
classroom 142
Jennifer Danley-Scott
16 Critical thinking in political science: some reflections on
conceptualization, measurement, and the future 156
John Ishiyama

Editorial Reviews

‘Olsen and Born leverage the knowledge and experience of diverse educators to provide a compelling and comprehensive guidebook for teaching critical thinking in the modern college setting. Teaching Critical Thinking in Political Science offers concrete, evidence-based advice for best classroom practices, pedagogical strategies, and bringing hands-on learning experience to students in a variety of educational settings, from small seminars to large lecture halls. This book is a must-read for anyone hoping to prepare students for a rapidly changing environment and give them a truly transformative college experience.’

Clare Brock

‘In an era when the traditional liberal arts are competing with STEM fields for majors and resources, a concerted focus on the development of critical thinking skills has become a rallying point for disciplines like political science. Teaching Critical Thinking in Political Science does what we ask of our students. It uses an empirical approach to identify those strategies that further the development of these all-important learning outcomes. And it provides best practices for the building of assignments, the conduct of simulation exercises, and techniques that work in difficult large classroom settings.’

Marcus Hendershot