Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Methods? Methodological Games and Role Play

ABSTRACT

In terms of gamification within political science, some fields—particularly international relations and American politics—have received more attention than others. One of the most underserved parts of the discipline is research methods; a course that, coincidentally, is frequently cited as one that instructors hate to teach and students hate to take. Given the well-documented merits of games in promoting student engagement and the key role of methods as a building block to student understanding of political science, this article attempts to rectify this oversight by introducing three games—Zendo, Murder Mystery, and the Archeologist’s Quandary— geared at teaching key concepts and approaches in research methods.

KEYWORDS:

• Active learning
• research methods
• role-play

Notes

At least one political scientist has gone on the record claiming quite the reverse; Janda (2001, p. 6) calls teaching research methods “the best job in the department”.

Please contact the authors for detailed materials that will enable you to use these exercises in your class.

The game is sadly out of print, but Looney Labs sells the pyramid pieces separately, so it is relatively easy to craft your own set with the pieces and three sets of colored marbles, tiles, or stones. The cost is about $20 for enough to work with a class of 25.

For more information about this variation, see (Pgadey 2012)

Bootstrapping entails designing games and simulations to use existing knowledge, reducing anxiety about content gaps so students can focus on the behaviors, processes, and abstract thinking at the center of certain exercises (see Kollars and Rosen 2015).

The authors purchased the “Once Upon a Murder” mystery from Night of Mystery (nightofmystery.com).

One method that can assist here is the use of what Asal (2017) has called the “pedagogical pause”—stopping students at points throughout the activity to remind them on what they should be focusing and learning.

The department offers only a single methods course at the undergraduate level. Advanced courses are offered in other departments such as math and psychology.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nina Kollars

Dr. Nina A. Kollars studies innovation processes in complex environments. Kollars obtained her PhD in political science from The Ohio State University and her MA from the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Her current work is featured in Survival, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Security Studies, War on the Rocks, and International Studies Perspectives. Dr. Kollars was the 2016 Army Capabilities Integration Center Distinguished Lecturer. She is currently assistant professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College and carries a number of affiliations including research fellow to the Donovan Group (SOCOM), nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point Military Academy, and codirector of Cigars, Scotch & Strategy. Her current research project examines the innovative practices of hackers and information security practitioners in the emerging cyber security domain.

Amanda M. Rosen

Dr. Amanda M. Rosen is the Director of International Relations at Webster University, where she also holds the positions of Associate Professor of politics and international relations and Fellow in the Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. Her research focuses on the politics of climate change, human rights of the family, and the design and use of simulations and games and other pedagogical tools in the political science classroom. She has a PhD and MA in political science from The Ohio State University and a BA from Duke University. Dr. Rosen is the 2016 recipient of the American Political Science Association’s (APSA)’s CQ Press Award for Teaching Innovation and the 2017 recipient of the International Study Association’s (ISA) Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching Award and Webster University’s William T. Kemper Award for Teaching Excellence. Her recent work can be found in Politics & Policy, International Studies Perspectives, and PS: Political Science and Politics.