Simulation Reviews : Simulations in Political Science and International Studies

Newkirk, Marie; Hamilton, William

doi:10.1177/104687817901000306

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Many existing international relations simulations are fairly long and complex affairs, often involving detailed research and background information~Lantis, 1998; for reviews of a variety of simulations see Suransky, 1980;Newkirk and Hamilton, 1978;Charles and Stadsklev, 1973;and Smoker, 1970!. When creating such a simulation from scratch, clearly the more complex the simulation the more complicated and time-consuming the design.…”

Section: Design Parametersmentioning

confidence: 97%

Simulating the Creation of a New International Human Rights Treaty: Active Learning in the International Studies Classroom

Kille

2002

Int Studies Perspectives

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This article details a simulation of formulating a new international human rights treaty designed for an introductory international studies course. Student understanding and interest in a range of international relations topics-including diplomacy, two-level games, international law, human rights, and group decision making-are reinforced by actively engaging the students in policy formulation and state-to-state negotiations. The article is structured around the four key components of active learning approaches-educational objectives, design parameters, procedures, and assessment and debriefing-in order to provide a full understanding of the goals, set-up, process, and advantages of the simulation. The simulation has been successfully run multiple times at both a large state university and a small liberal arts institution. Supportive student feedback and an interesting variety of outcomes indicate that this simulation is a positive addition to the course and reinforces the use of active learning approaches in the international studies classroom.

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Section: Design Parametersmentioning

confidence: 97%

Simulating the Creation of a New International Human Rights Treaty: Active Learning in the International Studies Classroom

Kille

2002

Int Studies Perspectives

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“…Scenarios offer many of the same benefits as simulations, recently a hot topic in the pedagological literature, to teaching in political science (Newkirk and Hamilton ; Smith and Boyer ; Newmann and Twigg ; Simpson and Kaussler ; Sasley ). Indeed, scenarios are often a key part of simulation learning.…”

Section: Advantages Of Scenario Analysis For Political Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceiving of Future War: The Promise of Scenario Analysis for International Relations

Junio

Mahnken

2013

Int Stud Rev

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This article introduces political scientists to scenarios-future counterfactuals-and demonstrates their value in tandem with other methodologies and across a wide range of research questions. The authors describe best practices regarding the scenario method and argue that scenarios contribute to theory building and development, identifying new hypotheses, analyzing data-poor research topics, articulating "world views," setting new research agendas, avoiding cognitive biases, and teaching. The article also establishes the low rate at which scenarios are used in the international relations subfield and situates scenarios in the broader context of political science methods. The conclusion offers two detailed examples of the effective use of scenarios.In his classic work on scenario analysis, The Art of the Long View, Peter Schwartz commented that "social scientists often have a hard time [building scenarios]; they have been trained to stay away from 'what if?' questions and concentrate on 'what was?'" (Schwartz 1996:31). While Schwartz's comments were impressionistic based on his years of conducting and teaching scenario analysis, his claim withstands empirical scrutiny. Scenarios-counterfactual narratives about the future -are woefully underutilized among political scientists. The method is almost never taught on graduate student syllabi, and a survey of leading international relations (IR) journals indicates that scenarios were used in only 302 of 18,764 sampled articles. The low rate at which political scientists use scenarios-less than 2% of the time-is surprising; the method is popular in fields as disparate as business, demographics, ecology, pharmacology, public health, economics, and epidemiology (Venable, Li, Ginter, and Duncan 1993;Leufkens, Haaijer-Ruskamp, Bakker, and Dukes 1994;Baker, Hulse, Gregory, White, Van Sickle, Berger, Dole, and Schumaker 2004;Sanderson, Scherbov, O'Neill, and Lutz 2004). Scenarios also are a common tool employed by the policymakers whom political scientists study.This article seeks to elevate the status of scenarios in political science by demonstrating their usefulness for theory building and pedagogy. Rather than constitute mere speculation regarding an unpredictable future, as critics might suggest, scenarios assist scholars with developing testable hypotheses, gathering 1 We thank the reviewers of International Studies Review and participants of the 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Conference for their thoughtful feedback on earlier drafts.

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“…The idea of using simulations in the classroom is certainly nothing new (Newkirk and Hamilton 1979;Newmann and Twigg 2000;Dogherty 2003;Asal 2005;Stover 2007) but seems to be a very effective and stimulating didactic tool which is rarely employed in mainstream IR teaching. Making simulations an element of IR modules such as ''International Security,'' ''Conflict Resolution,'' and ''Peace Studies,'' as well as thematic courses on ''Conflict in Africa'' or ''the Middle East,'' provides tutors and lecturers with a valuable pedagogic medium which conveys as much empirical information on respective conflict scenarios as it teaches the dynamics of negotiation, conflict resolution, rational choice theory, and strategy.…”

Section: Simulations and International Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

IR Teaching Reloaded: Using Films and Simulations in the Teaching of International Relations

Simpson¹,

Kaussler

2009

International Studies Perspectives

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This article reflects some experiences in teaching International Relations (IR) by using films to supplement the use of simulations and role play scenarios. The authors have used simulations and role play scenarios in order to teach complex issues and theories, and to engage the interest of students. By using films to supplement the use of simulations in classrooms, it is suggested that students become more active in their own learning. A number of ways in which simulations and role play can be used in teaching are established here alongside an array of films that can be shown to students to complement such teaching approaches. The use of films to teach IR theory is also listed. It is concluded that the use of simulations, role play, and films in teaching IR can aid student learning especially in terms of IR theory.

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Simulation Reviews : Simulations in Political Science and International Studies

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Simulating the Creation of a New International Human Rights Treaty: Active Learning in the International Studies Classroom

Simulating the Creation of a New International Human Rights Treaty: Active Learning in the International Studies Classroom

Conceiving of Future War: The Promise of Scenario Analysis for International Relations

IR Teaching Reloaded: Using Films and Simulations in the Teaching of International Relations

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