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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 November 2022
Many of the problems facing higher education are not capable of correction within the classroom setting. Yet, a great deal can be accomplished by an individual instructor in order to combat the often-spoken student criticism that classroom experiences are fundamentally deficient and unsatisfactory. This article offers political scientists a reasonably simple method of increasing student interest and participation in the Introductory American Government course. It concerns the design of a term paper which attempts to gain the active involvement of students through the use of primary source material.
The teacher of an introductory American Government course today is probably very encouraged by enormous student interest in the workings of the political system. At the same time, it is not improbable that he is discouraged by the generally low level of substantive knowledge of current events and historical facts. In addition, he is disturbed to find that students do not read books and rarely read newspapers, that they rely upon television and rumor to support their substantive beliefs. The instructor is, additionally, torn between the pull of current issues as a source of classroom learning, and the commitment to the subject matter and methodology of the discipline, as the focus of classroom attention.
In addition, those who assign term papers to their classes must fight the widespread and probably accurate student presumption that most term papers are added drudgery complementing the deadening succession of textbook assignments and blue-book examinations; that they are time-consuming, dull and irrelevant. Furthermore, students complain, again in justice, that their work is not usually read by the professor teaching them, or if read, is considered in a cursory fashion, so that hours of student effort result in simply a grade and possibly a one sentence comment along with, of course, the correction of a few grammatical and spelling errors.
1 One such method, dialogue instruction, has been dealt with by Macchiarola, Frank J. and Skerrett, Joseph T. Jr., “Creative Dialogue in the Classroom: The Technology of Teaching,” in Catholic Educational Review (September 1968).Google Scholar See also Jedrzejewski, Clement, “Toward a New Educational Order,” in The Dialogist (Spring 1970).Google Scholar
2 R. Ned Lebow and Jeffrey B. Morris, “Dien Bien Phu – isn't He the Emperor of Indonesia,” in the forthcoming issue of The Educational Forum.
3 From an anonymous student evaluation of the course: “It was the first time a paper wasn't a chore.” Another student: “It was one of the few papers I didn't mind doing.” A third: “Marvelous – not the usual book browsing boredom.”
4 Is there a faculty member teaching today who cannot recall as a student his sense of disappointment at receiving a lengthy theme to which he had devoted hours of effort, with few if any comments?
5 We are, of course, aware that the normal assignment of a term paper in an introductory course offers special problems as underclassmen and non-majors do not have experience in research techniques, knowledge of methodology, or knowledge of the bibliographic tools of the discipline.
6 See the section on Applicability of This Method in Other Areas, infra.
7 In this age of mass education, the student has a desperate need for attention, for being noticed, for intellectual guidance, and for the feeling of uniqueness that may well stimulate his work.
8 The idea for this paper was conceived jointly and applied in Mr. Morris' Political Science 1 sections at City College in Fall 1968.
9 We should like to extend our appreciation to Mr.White, Theodore H. whose The Making of the President, 1960 (New York, 1961)Google Scholar, was one of the books on the course syllabus during the election campaign.
10 The newspapers in the United States are listed in the World Almanac. As some states are not represented on that list, the names of papers could be ascertained by use of telephone directories, or by calling telephone information for the relevant city directly. Alternatively, the student could be assigned a city and charged with the duty of finding the newspaper with the largest circulation.
11 A few switches were in fact permitted where students presented unusual reasons for peculiar interest.
12 It was, therefore, best for the students to place their subscription orders by telephone.
13 Alaska and Hawaii newspapers, sent by regular mail, arrive about three weeks after the date of issue. The due date was extended for these students to take into account this delay. It is interesting to note, however, that with 107 different newspapers, mail delivery was remarkably reliable.
14 To discourage reliance on post electoral analysis that would appear in the press, it was announced that the term papers were due on the day before the election and that no extension would be granted. A few exceptions were permitted in the case of deaths in the family, participation in the campaign, and for those students assigned Hawaii and Alaska. It should be noted that while the students were encouraged to do the research throughout the campaign, it was recommended that they reserve writing for the day or two before the due date so as to get in as much of the full feel of the campaign; this explains limiting the paper to 5 to 10 pages.
15 It is curious how students enter a classroom, sit down, take notes, never interact with each other, or even learn the names of those who sit beside them.
16 Some students complained of the expense, but most thought that it had been worth the money. It should be clear that the effectiveness of this assignment depends in large part on the students' receipt of their own copies; having students work from a library copy would not be effective here.
17 As students compared observations while the campaign continued, they began to note the similarities – the limited effectiveness of the Wallace and Peace forces, the lack of competence in the running of the Humphrey campaign, the importance of polls, and the importance of the Salt Lake City Speech to the Humphrey campaign. They noted how Nixon, avoiding a discussion of the war and the furor over Agnew, remained steadily ahead in the popular polls throughout the campaign until the final few days. Disenchantment with the candidates was a national phenomenon.
18 The authors of this article will be happy to hear from those who attempt variations on our theme.
19 One cannot always count on being able to subscribe to and receive the average college newspaper.
20 One student spoke of receiving “insight into the campaign tactics and general political workings of a state outside my own.” Another said, “I'm sure many of us would not have followed the election so closely if we didn't do the paper.”
