"In political science courses students will encounter many kinds
of texts. In the 100-level courses they may use a textbook, but
it will likely be supplemented with political/government
documents, opinion pieces, scholarly articles, cartoons,
literary works, and web sites. Upper-level courses will put more
emphasis on articles and books written by and for political
scientists. Success in political science courses depends largely
on the student's willingness to read carefully and reflect
thoughtfully. This reflection will emerge, to a large extent, in
their written work." ~Dr. Erik Trump, Professor of Political
Science Many political science courses place great emphasis on
the development of students' writing, both as a means of
demonstrating mastery of political science concepts and as a way
to nurture critical thinking skills. Writing assignments can
take many forms -- in-class brainstorming sessions, one-page
response papers, essay exams, the researched paper, and so on.
All of these forms, however, are var