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The following articles come from different intellectual traditions than usually appear in NEWS for Teachers of Political Science. Previously, thoughtful NEWS pieces have ranged widely from the use of metaphors and simulations to techniques for lecturing and leading classroom discussions to reviews of current textbooks. However, two traditions have been largely missing: developments in contemporary educational thought, curriculum theory in particular, and continental philosophy. Continental philosophy has had important influence in the field of curriculum theory as well as American political science. Therefore, it seems appropriate that some of these developments explicitly be brought to the attention of teachers of political science. The articles by Whitty and Giroux deal with recent developments in pre-collegiate educational thought; Dallmayr, with developments in continental philosophy in this century; Shapiro, with implications of post-structuralist thought for teaching about politics; and I explain how developments in analytic as well as continental philosophy have shaped a graduate seminar in research methodology.

One promise of the behavioral revolution was that metaphysical assumptions would be minimized, if not eliminated, in political research and theorizing. Nothing would be taken for granted. It is now obvious that this is not possible. Instead, the question is which metaphysical assumptions are most felicitous and persuasive in our search for knowledge about politics. This question does not have a single, uncomplicated answer. For those of us who teach research methodology, interesting and at times disillusioning developments have influenced thinking about research methodology during the last twenty years. Developments in modern logic, continental and neo- Marxist thought, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and even literary criticism has upset previously held assumptions about behavioral political research and the nature of empirically based theory.

Evaluation of six studies suggests that the case for learning and attitude change resulting from simulation games may not be as strong as has been claimed. Alternative ways of using simulations to maximize learning are then presented. The author, who has just received his Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University, is now Assistant Professor of Political Science and Research Associate at the Social Science Teaching Institute, Michigan State University.