International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   The question of how we know what we know lies at the heart of epistemological inquiry in the social sciences. The point of this essay is to suggest why it is desirable to teach international politics scientifically , to discuss some of the challenges of doing so, and to suggest some solutions and ideas for doing so effectively. I will discuss some of the benefits to students (particularly those studying international politics) from learning some of the core concepts of science as part of their courses. I focus particular attention on how concepts and lessons learned about theory, evidence, and assessment will help all students and not just those following careers where methodological skills are heavily used. In fact, while I discuss particular methodologies and methodological tools that we often think of as “scientific” (e.g., statistical analysis, game theory), I suggest that most core scientific concepts can be taught and illustrated without having to teach such tools. I focus on the most common methods and topics that I have observed in use in courses, and through discussions with colleagues. Within the Scientific Study of International Politics (SSIP) section, most research tends to employ statistical, game-theoretic, or computational methods as primary methodologies. In this essay I interpret the term “scientifically” somewhat more broadly than ... log in or subscribe to read full text