Using Simulation Across Courses To Serve Under-Represented Populations

The benefits of simulation exercises as required coursework are well documented, and can be enhanced by incorporation of these techniques throughout political science departments. These benefits can be particularly pronounced in colleges serving traditionally under-represented populations. As the Americanist at a Hispanic-serving institution primarily for women, I have included simulation exercises in my American Party Politics, Legislative Process, Legal Reasoning, Moot Court, and Mock Trial courses. Through mock Presidential Debates, Model Congress, Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions, my students have developed their critical thinking and communication skills, and found self-confidence, to a degree well beyond what can be expected from traditional coursework alone. I have combined these simulation exercises with experiential learning elements in my Public Policy course, which requires each student to take a volunteer position with a governmental, NGO or advocacy organization. This approach has proven to be a powerful combination toward educating students to use their knowledge to better themselves, their environments, and the world. The benefits of simulation and role-play in the college classroom have been well-documented and the technique is being used increasingly in a wide-variety of disciplines including the physical sciences (Colella 2000), mathematics (Resnick & Wilensky 1998), histor