Suchergebnisse

What to teach the first-time student in a political science class? Perhaps more importantly, what to teach the undergraduate whose only experience with political science, and the formal study of politics, will be the introduction they receive in our classes?Owing to the peculiarities of our discipline, the "Introduction to Political Science" class is often just that: a tour through all the major gardens in the discipline, describing to students what is done among scholars and practicioners in the various fields, giving them an overall view of what we do, how we do it, and in the process perhaps making a case for the significance of our discipline, our research, and perhaps even the subject itself — politics.

As recipients of Fulbright-Hayes lectureships, we taught political science courses at two Chinese universities during the academic year 1983-84. Professor Thompson, at the International Politics Department of Beijing University, the major liberal arts university in North China, and Professor Morrison with the History Department of Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, the comparable institution of the south. We were the first western political scientists in residence and teaching on a regular basis in mainland Chinese universities in over thirty years, and taught the first political science courses included in Chinese curricula since the late 1940's. In addition to lecturing in each other's departments. Professor Thompson spent a week at Fudan University in Shanghai and Professor Morrison lectured at Nanjing University. These are our perceptions regarding the current state of political science in the People's Republic of China.