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Learning Opportunities in a Department-Wide Crisis Simulation: Bridging the International/National Divide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 June 2009

Jeanne S. Zaino  and
Tricia Mulligan
Jeanne S. Zaino
Affiliation:
Iona College
Tricia Mulligan
Affiliation:
Iona College
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Abstract

When designed and executed properly, role-playing simulations go a long way to enhance student learning. Typically, however, simulations are divided along subfields. Most exercises, whether based on real or fictitious events, either place students in various roles within a country or have them represent the international interests of one country among others. In an effort to bridge this divide and answer recent calls to internationalize the curriculum, we have designed and implemented a department-wide crisis simulation. The article demonstrates that students engaged in a large-scale, department-wide simulation gain a greater appreciation and understanding of political processes and variables including negotiation, the opportunities and constraints of institutional design, identity, and strategic thinking.

Type
The Teacher
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , July 2009 , pp. 537 - 542
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association 2009

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