Blackwell Reference Online

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Comment on this article   Courses on postcommunist politics are now commonplace in political science departments in the United States, but guidance for faculty teaching these classes remains scarce. This essay offers not only a much-needed teaching resource but also provides a reflection on the subfield as seen from the undergraduate classroom. It reviews undergraduate course offerings at top-ranked colleges and universities and analyzes 34 course syllabi from American undergraduate programs in political science in order to identify and assess current trends in teaching postcommunist politics. An astute student of postcommunist politics would notice the triumph of disciplinary norms in the study and teaching of the region and the troubled state of the term “post-communism.” This essay focuses on the teaching of postcommunist politics to undergraduates at US colleges and universities. The experience of these students is by no means universal. American higher education has a relatively unique model of instruction and the geopolitical position of the US surely shapes student preconceptions of the region and, thus, faculty decisions on course content and style. Despite such peculiarities, the size and prestige of American higher education make it a good starting point for reflection on the state of teaching in the subfield. Typical sources of pedagogical guidance for political science ... log in or subscribe to read full text