(Ending) Civil War in the Classroom: A Peacebuilding Simulation

Brynen, Rex

doi:10.1017/s1049096509990710

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…However, technology can help facilitate active learning activities, from using listervs and instant messaging in a simulation (Brynen 2010) to creating a factchecking blog for an election (Bardwell 2011). Next, I examine the learning styles most engaged by these six activities and describe how I incorporated each activity into my course.…”

Section: Learning Styles Engaged By Active Learning Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include mock conventions, assemblies, debates, and other collaborative activities when students take on roles and make decisions accordingly. Simulations and role plays are the most common active learning activities in introductory courses (Archer and Miller 2011), and these are also used in upper-level, graduate, and online courses (e.g., Baylouny 2009;Brynen 2010;Parmentier 2013). Since 2006, simulations and role plays have been featured in one or two tracks at the annual APSA Teaching and Learning Conference; a recent issue of The Journal of Political Science Education focused exclusively on simulations (Asal et al 2013); and many articles show faculty how to integrate these activities into their classes (e.g., Auerbach 2012;Wedig 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Students report greater engagement, insight, and learning after participating in simulations (e.g., Brynen 2010;Oros 2007). More important, studies using control groups show that students perform better on quizzes if they have participated in a simulation or discussion (Powner and Allendoerfer 2008), better comprehend, apply, and evaluate complex concepts when taught through debate (Omelicheva and Avdeyeva 2008), have better knowledge of the material and perform better on exams after participating in brief simulations or collaborative activities (Baranowski 2006;Centellas and Love 2012;Lay and Smarick 2006), and remember more information over the long term after taking part in simulations (Bernstein and Meizlish 2003).…”

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Active Learning Strategies for Diverse Learning Styles: Simulations Are Only One Method

Bromley

2013

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Although political science instructors increasingly recognize the advantages of incorporating active learning activities into their teaching, simulations remain the discipline's most commonly used active learning method. While certainly a useful strategy, simulations are not the only way to bring active learning into classrooms. Indeed, because students have diverse learning styles-comprised of their discrete learning preferencesengaging them in a variety of ways is important. This article explores six active learning techniques: simulations, case studies, enhanced lectures, large group discussion, small group work, and in-class writing. Incorporating these activities into an introductory, writingintensive seminar on globalization and surveying students about their engagement with course activities, I find that different activities appeal to students with different learning preferences and that simulations are not students most preferred activity. Bringing a broader range of active learning strategies into courses can improve teaching for all students, no matter their learning style. P olitical science lends itself to a wide range of active learning activities. Unlike traditional teaching methods, where students more passively take in information through at-home readings and professor-delivered lectures, active learning demands more-and more engaged-student participation. Active learning helps students not only learn content but also develop critical thinking and writing skills (Bonwell and Eison 1991). These activities require instructors to offer opportunities "for students to meaningfully talk and listen, write, read, and reflect on the content, ideas, issues, and concerns of an academic subject" (Meyers and Jones 1993, 6; emphasis in original ). Indeed, the annual National Survey of Student Engagement includes increasing active and collaborative learning as one of only five benchmarks of effective educational practice (NSSE 2012). In the United States, millennials (the generation born after 1980) account for more than 75% of all undergraduates and more than 85% of full-time undergraduates (US Department of Education 2012); because this generation is more likely to attend college, more ethnically and racially diverse, and more likely to embrace technology than previous generations (Taylor and Keeter 2010), engaging them in more interactive ways is critical. Because students have diverse learning preferences, a broad range of active learning activities can help engage them in their learning.In political science, often we focus on a single active learning activity: simulations. These include mock conventions, assemblies, debates, and other collaborative activities when students take on roles and make decisions accordingly. Simulations and role plays are the most common active learning activities in introductory courses (Archer and Miller 2011), and these are also used in upper-level, graduate, and online courses (e.

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Active Learning Strategies for Diverse Learning Styles: Simulations Are Only One Method

Bromley

2013

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“…As such, the lack of simulations for teaching this important theory is highly problematic. The simulation described here is somewhat atypical in that it is divorced from real-world political scenarios (Brynen 2010 ;Wheeler 2006 ). I do not present a "role-playing" game or a hypothetical crisis situation.…”

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“…Rather, I describe a game that focuses entirely on the abstract logic of information, bargaining, and confl ict. Instructors then can integrate this game with additional simulations that encourage students to apply the bargaining logic to real-world scenarios (Asal 2005 ;Brynen 2010 ). For instance, instructors might follow this game with an in-depth historical case study of the Korean War or a crisis simulation centered on the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir.…”

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Simulating the Bargaining Model of War

Haynes¹

2015

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This article outlines a classroom simulation for teaching the bargaining model of war. This model has become one of the most important theories of international confl ict, but the technical notation often used to illustrate it is troublesome for some students. I describe a simple card game that can be integrated into a broader strategy for conveying the bargaining model's core insights. I also highlight ways in which the game can be modifi ed to focus on diff erent aspects of the model's logic. J ames Fearon's seminal work on the "bargaining model" of war set in motion a research agenda that highlights the important effects of informational asymmetries on international confl ict (Fearon 1995 ). The basic claim that uncertainty, misrepresentation, and mutual optimism can substantially increase the likelihood of confl ict has gained significant traction in the field. Indeed, it is reasonable to claim that the bargaining model should constitute an important component of an undergraduate international relations (IR) curriculum. Despite the model's elegance and intuitive logic, however, much of the bargaining literature contains highly technical, game-theoretic notation that is simply unsuited for most undergraduate students. 1 Even basic treatments in widely used introductory textbooks use basic mathematical notation that might be problematic for certain students (Frieden, Lake, and Schultz 2012 ).This article describes a simple card game that clearly illustrates the core logic of Fearon's bargaining model. The game carefully simulates informational asymmetries and costly confl ict while providing students with "incentives to misrepresent" their bargaining strength, as Fearon's model indicates. The game is highly fl exible, and the parameters can be adjusted easily to highlight diff erent components of the bargaining logic.Research has shown that classroom simulations can be a highly eff ective pedagogical tool (Frederking 2005 ;Shellman and Turan 2006 ). As such, the lack of simulations for teaching this important theory is highly problematic. The simulation described here is somewhat atypical in that it is divorced from real-world political scenarios (Brynen 2010 ; Wheeler 2006 ). I do not present a "role-playing" game or a hypothetical crisis situation. Rather, I describe a game that focuses entirely on the abstract logic of information, bargaining, and confl ict. Instructors then can integrate this game with additional simulations that encourage students to apply the bargaining logic to real-world scenarios (Asal 2005 ; Brynen 2010 ). For instance, instructors might follow this game with an in-depth historical case study of the Korean War or a crisis simulation centered on the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir. By integrating this game into a broader lesson plan, instructors can incorporate the bargaining model into even introductory IR courses. DESCRIBING THE BARGAINING MODELFearon's argument centers on the idea that war is costly and that if rational states were completely informed regarding the capa...

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Crossing a Virtual Divide: Wargaming as a Remote Teaching Tool

Harris

Freeman

2023

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In Fall 2020, political science instructors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) partnered to conduct a virtual-learning wargame centered on Taiwan. This article presents its design and execution along with the results from pre- and post-game surveys and interviews with the participants that were conducted to measure the achievement of its learning objectives. The game conduct and empirical results demonstrate two main findings. First, wargames are effective tools of active learning that aid in classroom instruction and grab the attention of students—even over Zoom—in a way that traditional methods of instruction do not. Second, wargames can bridge gaps between different fields. The MIT–NPS wargame tackled the civil–military divide by bringing together military officers at NPS and academics from MIT. These results show that wargaming holds promise as a bridge-building tool of instruction that can engage students, scholars, and practitioners in achieving positive learning outcomes.

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(Ending) Civil War in the Classroom: A Peacebuilding Simulation

Cited by 15 publications

References 3 publications

Active Learning Strategies for Diverse Learning Styles: Simulations Are Only One Method

Active Learning Strategies for Diverse Learning Styles: Simulations Are Only One Method

Simulating the Bargaining Model of War

Crossing a Virtual Divide: Wargaming as a Remote Teaching Tool

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