Course Description Both classes are large, introductory survey classes that are part of the general education program and satisfy social studies and other culture general education requirements. Global Politics explores political power and human connections on a global scale. The course covers concepts and ideas on the interaction of governments, organizations, and peoples across regions, cultures, and communities. The course helps students develop a global outlook on their future prospects as citizens and professionals in a globalized world. American Government covers the institutions and political processes of American national government and the nature of political analysis; the Constitution, ideological and cultural bases of American politics; the role of political parties, elections and interest groups; policy-making processes in the Congress, the presidency and courts. Both classes share common learning outcomes: that students have a better understanding of their own citizenship, the U.S. role in the world and what it means to be civically engaged (see below). Both classes enroll up to 120 students (mostly freshman). Both classes are offered each semester, and usually have multiple sections each semester. Every major is represented in a typical student population with overwhelming majority of students majoring in fields other than political science. These courses, however, also represent gateway courses for the political science discipline. The dominant learning environment for these courses is large, technology-equipped lecture hall.

Executive Summary The goals of introductory political science courses are not only to equip students with the fundamental knowledge about our discipline (that is about political processes at home and on the international level), but to give students a set of important skills, including political engagement, meaningful political citizenship (efficacy and agency), critical thinking, cultural empathy and respect for diversity (both domestic and global). To this end, four faculty members in Public and Environmental Affairs (Terri Johnson, Denise Scheberle, Kevin Vonck, and Katia Levintova) devised, piloted and refashioned a Global Summit on Sustainability. The summit pilot (Spring 2008) involved two sections of American Government (approximately 200 students) and one section of Global Politics (120 students). The lesson study involved 29 student teams role-playing countries in a summit designed to adopt a global resolution on sustainability. Prior to the Global Summit session, a pre-Summit session was held. During pre-Summit students selected their roles, received instructions, and agreed upon the schedule for assignment completion. During the Global Summit, the global resolution was adopted as a result of compromises and negotiations among country delegations. Prior to the Global Summit, students researched their assigned country's environmental, social, economic, and political problems that pertained to sustainable development. They also learned about the role their country played in international sustainable development efforts and international affairs in general. Each country delegation had to come up with a UN-like resolution on sustainable development which both addressed national needs and priorities and had a reasonable chance of being a framework for the global policy on sustainability. Preliminary negotiations started as soon as a resolution was approved by the delegation and posted on a D2L website created specially for the Summit. Students had one or two summit work days in class, but their work also took place outside the class as they worked in teams, and also on-line. The learning objective was for students to come away from the Summit empowered as citizens, with an increased understanding of and appreciation for global citizenship, domestic and global negotiations and policy-making, knowledgeable about their own country and the complexities of the world. The Global Summit pilot (Spring 2008) and the slightly revised Global Summit (Fall 2008) increased students' appreciation for global citizenship. Students perceived improved skills supportive of effective citizenship (negotiation and empathy). The change was measured through a survey instrument developed specifically for the Summit as well as observations of face-to-face and virtual (D2L) behavior and dialogues before and during the Summit and content analysis of quick reaction papers and longer (required) reflection papers. Most significantly, we detected the difference in means between the pre-Summit and post-Summit surveys, with the questions' means increasing or decreasing in response to participation in the Summit. Qualitative content analysis of student written assignments also revealed increased sophistication in global thinking and negotiations skills.

Printer Friendly Version of Complete Report Complete Report

The Lesson Below are links to the lesson plan and the materials used to teach it. Lesson Portion of Final Report This part of the report describes learning goals, gives detailed instructions on how to run the global summit and locates it within the scholarship of teaching and learning. Handouts, instructions, and prompts for Global Summit This section contains every handout or prompt mentioned in the description of the lesson. It provides useful instructional materials to use with the lesson. Powerpoint Presentation Shown at the Pre-Summit This powerpoint presentation is shown during the Pre-Summit. It provides brief overview of the project and is designed to introduce students to the global thinking. Powerpoint Presentation Shown at the Actual Summit This presentation helps keep the summit on track. Video of actual pre-summit In this video students discuss their assignment.

The Study Below are links to the study of the lesson. Lesson Portion of the Final Report In this portion of the report we present evidence of the lesson's impact on student learning and the modifications introduced after running the pilot and the actual lesson study project. Quantitative and Qualitative Data from the Summit Lesson This section contains survey data from the Summit as well as representative sample of student reactions to the meaning of global citizenship captured in reflection papers and quick reaction statements. Video of Actual Summit Excerpts from the Global Summit on Sustainability Fall 2008.