The specific goal of this project is to produce a report that will initiate a spirited and constructive discussion and exploration of the current study and practice of political science in light of changes in the demographic composition of many nations' populations, their university student bodies, and the continuing challenge of diversifying the profession. Unlike many approaches to studying the challenges of cultural diversity driven by demographic change within scholarly communities, diversity should not be limited to a simple "add-on" to traditional approaches and practices within the profession that link it to simple descriptive statistics of student enrollment, production of Ph.D.'s, and faculty recruitment. Rather, diversity should be seen as a concept sufficiently rich to open a window to a rigorous discussion of the ways that political science can consider broadening its research agendas, reconceptualizing its teaching techniques, and creating new practices of professional development in the context of the challenges posed by increased demographic and socioeconomic complexity.
The primary intellectual merit of the project is promoting a deeper understanding of how integrating demographic transformations that lead to cultural diversity can enrich fundamental dimensions of the study and practice of the discipline. The broader impact of the project will be to serve as a model to other professional associations as they consider how to integrate cultural diversity within their study and practice. In this way, the broader scholarly community will be given the opportunity to assess where and how it can modify, adapt, or maintain traditional approaches and proactices to further bring cultural diversity with the mainstream of their professions. Stated most broadly, this project systematically explores the possibility that the racial and ethnic integration of academic disciplines and our societies can develop hand in hand.
NSF POR-Award ID 1037020 APSA Task Force on Political Science in the 21st Century This project addresses two questions: Is political science positioned to embrace and incorporate the changing demographics, increasing multicultural diversity, and ever-growing disparities in the concentration of wealth present in many nation-states? Can political science do so within its research, teaching, and professional development? To answer these questions, the American Political Science (APSA) Task Force on Political Science in the 21st Century assessed the practice of political science to determine whether it is living up to its full potential as a scholarly discipline to enrich the discourse, broaden the understanding, and model the behavior necessary to build strong nation-states in a rapidly changing world where population shifts and related issues regarding race, ethnicity, immigration, and equal opportunity structure some of the most significant conflicts affecting politics and policymaking. In the areas of teaching and learning, for example, the Task Force maintains that the increased racial, ethnic, and class diversity of K-12 and college and university students in coming decades necessitates an examination of how issues of diversity and inclusion are taught in political science and what strategies can be pursued to better align the teaching of political science with this student diversity. The Task Force undertook analyses of data and trends in three main areas: teaching and pedagogy, research and scholarship, and access and inclusion in the professoriate. The outcome of the project, and the findings contained therein, have important implications not only for advancing knowledge within and about the discipline, but also for broadening participation in the social, behavioral and economic sciences. A brief recap of the findings and several recommendations on strategies for building a more inclusive scholarship, teaching, and access in political science, are presented below: The Task Force final report finds that the APSA as an association has, to a degree, been proactive in dealing with issues related to diversity and inclusion. The Association began constructing a foundation for changing the profession in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement at the end of the 1960s. However, as in many other areas of public life, progress has been slow, and there is always more to be done. The primary goal in this report is to start a spirited and constructive debate about the profession’s accomplishments, and especially about how an agenda might be framed for the 21st century to promote even greater progress. The report’s final recommendations are as follows: 1. The need for richer, more comprehensive, and systematic data regarding research, teaching and pedagogy, and access and inclusion within the profession. 2. The need for the APSA to fully consider whether its current good practices can be modified to serve as catalysts to departments to make more progress regarding issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and diversity more broadly. 3. The need for the APSA to partner with other associations or a subset of its own membership to solicit, secure, and utilize external funds to be a leader in developing new research, teaching, and career development paradigms. These can serve as models for departments of political science, universities, and colleges to embrace the rich intellectual opportunities presented in the study and teaching of issues related to diversity and inclusion. In closing, this project discusses ways in which diversity as a concept can open a window to a rigorous discussion of the ways that political science can consider broadening its research agendas, reconceptualizing its teaching techniques, and creating new practices of professional development in the context of the challenges posed by increased demographic and socioeconomic complexity. The broader impact of the project will be to serve as a model to other professional associations, across all disciplines, as they consider how to integrate cultural diversity within their study and practice. In this way, the broader scholarly community will be given the opportunity to assess where and how it can modify, adapt, or maintain traditional approaches and practices to further bring cultural diversity within the mainstream of their professions. Stated most broadly, this project has systematically explored the possibility that the racial and ethnic integration of academic disciplines and our societies can develop hand in hand.
