Academic journals play a key role in the dissemination of scholarly knowledge in the social sciences. Hence, publication in journals is critical evidence of scholarly performance for both individuals and the departments that they populate. While in the best of worlds each scholar's performance would be evaluated based on a close reading of his/her published journal articles, in the actual practices of hiring, tenure and promotion review, and departmental evaluations this ideal is often honored only in the breach. Instead, evaluators commonly base their judgments of the importance and quality of published articles, at least in part, on the journals in which they appear. The higher the status accorded a journal, the greater the weight attached to publications appearing in it.

Acentral problem in the development of political science has long been how to emulate the objectivity and rigor of natural science while simultaneously retaining relevance for conducting public affairs. For some observers, however, the very notion of a natural-scientific orientation to the study of politics is antithetical to its relevance to practical politics. Woodrow Wilson (1911, 10) struck at the heart of the matter when he proclaimed that “I do not like the term political science” in his 1910 APSA Presidential Address. “Human relationships … are not in any proper sense the subject matter of science. They are the stuff of insight and sympathy and spiritual comprehension” (10–1; see also Ubertaccio and Cook 2006).This research received financial support from the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University and the department of political science at the University of Florida. For helpful suggestions, I am grateful to Michael Bloom, John Mark Hansen, Daniel Meyer, and Stephen Yoder.

In recent years, increased attention has focused on how doctoral programs prepare graduate students to become faculty members at colleges and universities. One reflection of this interest is the development of such training programs as Preparing Future Faculty (PFF), which the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools founded in 1993. With financial support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Science Foundation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies, and with the participation of several professional associations, including the American Political Science Association, PFF has grown to include nearly 300 colleges and universities nationwide. In the recent past, 21 doctoral departments, including four from political science, have received funding for PFF. In addition to formal PFF programs, the literature on graduate education suggests that many doctoral departments have established their own training routines to assist graduate students as they prepare to teach and/or to assume faculty responsibilities.

This article explores the relationship between the method of process tracing and the data collection technique of elite interviewing. The process tracing method has become an increasingly used and cited tool in qualitative research, a trend that has recently accelerated with the publication of Alexander George and Andrew Bennett's text (2005), Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. That book outlines and explores the process tracing method in detail, highlighting its advantages for exploring causal processes and analyzing complex decision-making. Yet while the book presents a rigorous and compelling account of the process tracing method and its critical importance to case study research, the value of the method itself remains contested in some quarters, and there are aspects of George and Bennett's treatment of it that require further exploration.

The call to the White House came out of the blue. It was a nondescript email captioned “An invitation”; the sender's address was: nsc.eop.gov. Having worked Pennsylvania Avenue for 35 years, I knew the initials meant National Security Council, Executive Office of the President.This article first appeared in slightly modified form in the London publication Times Higher Education Supplement on June 29, 2007, under the title “Mr Bush, this is the way I see it.”

APSA is pleased to recognize political science faculty members who received campus-wide and department awards for teaching excellence during the 2006–2007 academic year. APSA, Rowman Littlefield Publishers, and Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, recognize award-winning faculty members each year at the Reception Honoring Teaching at the APSA Annual Meeting. Recognized faculty members receive a certificate noting their accomplishment and their awards are announced in PS and on the APSA web site.

The epigraph beginning this article came from a student in my standard Introduction to Political Theory course at the end of the fall, 2005 semester. This course was offered at San Francisco State University (SFSU), a large (30,000 students), public, urban institution and part of the California State University system. The size of the class was 45 students, typical for such an introductory course, consisting mostly of juniors and majors in political science (since the course is a requirement for graduation for such majors). The intellectual caliber of the students appeared to be normally dispersed: there were some excellent students and some weak ones, especially with regard to the latter group's writing skills—a quite common occurrence at SFSU. Almost all of the students had completed at least one other core class (usually Introduction to American Government or Comparative Politics) and were taking a political science elective concurrently with the introductory political theory course.

Simulations are an important complement to a traditional political science education in that they can promote active learning and enhance student understanding of course material. Simulations can also provide students with the opportunity to learn and develop important research, writing, public speaking, and analysis skills. This essay describes a multi-class campaign simulation of my own design that was run in two upper-level government courses during the spring of 2006 at Hamilton College. This simulation is designed to promote student engagement in political ideas and concepts from the varied perspectives of candidates, campaign staff, parties, the media, and voters. At the same time, the simulation also helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a political campaign, legislative office, or other professional political environments.I wish to thank Sharon Waring Rivera and Brian S. Glenn for providing helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.

“Simulation is an umbrella term that covers some interesting active-learning strategies—including role playing, simulation exercise and games and computer models—that allow students to practice and apply their learning” (Meyers and Jones 1993, 89; italics in the original). As this quote indicates, educational exercises, simulations give students the chance to apply theory, develop critical skills, and provide a welcome relief from the everyday tasks of reading and preparing for classes. Students “put on the skin” of another person and participate in the learning process. For the social sciences, where there are few absolutes or certainties, students can investigate the major questions of the discipline experientially. Comparison, analysis, and evaluation by students are the natural outcomes of this learning environment (Bain 2004; Meyers and Jones 1993). Simulations have become increasingly popular in the teaching of social sciences and, when done properly, they are effective. Shifting the focus from the teacher to the student provides more immediate feedback to the student than a lecture and exam some time in the future. Students immersed in the “game world” must actively demonstrate their grasp of the subject. As members of teams, students have increased accountability as well as assistance from their peers in learning (Bain 2004; Wheeler 2006). In addition to engaging students, simulations make complex theories clearer. Active participation in the knowledge experience, as opposed to being a passive observer, allows students to experiment and build their own knowledge base. A number of studies have shown that this approach increases comprehension, builds critical thinking skills, and improves retention (Asal 2005; Krain and Lantis 2006).

The Council on Foreign Relations was founded in 1921 as an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas to foreign policy practitioners, including Council members, senior government officials, prominent journalists, and members of Congress and their staffs. Two years ago, the Council launched its Academic Outreach Program, designed to connect the academic community to the Council's research and analysis. The program consists of the following components.

People in Political Science.

In memoriam.

Grounded in APSA President Robert Axelrod's task force on interdisciplinarity, the 103rd Annual Meeting in Chicago moved past disciplinary boundaries to explore “Political Science and Beyond.” Program Co-Chairs Elisabeth Gerber of the University of Michigan and David Lake of the University of California, San Diego organized all panels and plenary sessions by working closely with the Program Committee, a 52-member team drawn from the Organized Sections.

Founded in 1953, the APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is the nation's oldest and most prestigious congressional fellowship. More than fifty years later, the program remains devoted to its original objective of expanding knowledge and awareness of Congress.

Here's an early look at some of the articles you'll see in the November American Political Science Review.

Washington Insider.

Nominations for 2008 APSA Dissertation, Book, and Career Awards are now being accepted.

Here's a preview of some of the articles that will be published in the January issue of PS: Political Science and Politics.

News and notes.

The APSA Nominating Committee welcomes your suggestions for candidates for 2008 Council seats and offices. This year, eight Council seats, three vice presidencies, and the offices of president-elect and secretary are open. Council members serve staggered two-year terms. The president-elect, vice presidents, and secretary all serve one-year terms.