Teaching and Learning Political Science in the Era of AI

A public lecture by Professor John Ishiyama (University of North Texas) In this presentation, Professor Ishiyama will discuss what is meant by AI, particularly as it relates to teaching and learning. Second, he will review the principal challenges that have emerged as the result of the advent of AI, particularly how these challenges relate to the recommendations regarding the development of student skills made by the 2024 American Political Science Association (APSA) Presidential Task Force Report Rethinking Political Science Education (APSA 2024). Third, he will review how colleagues in the discipline have reacted to AI use in the classroom (via results from an APSA survey and a review of the growing number of papers and publications that have addressed AI use in the classroom). Fourth, he will touch upon the ethics of AI use in the classroom (or making readers aware of the costs of using AI in the classroom before deciding to use AI). Finally, he will review cases where AI has been used in assignment design, assisting grading, promoting digital literacy, and career preparation. John Ishiyama is a University Distinguished Research Professor and Director of the School of Governance, Economy and Spatial Sciences at the University of North Texas. From 2022 to 2026, he was chair of the political science department. He was President of the American Political Science Association (APSA) from 2021-22. In addition to his service as APSA President, he was a Vice President of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), and currently is a Vice President-elect of the International Studies Association. From 2012 to 2016, he was Editor-in-Chief for the American Political Science Review and was the founding editor-in-chief of the APSA’s Journal of Political Science Education, serving in that role from 2004 to 2012. He also helped establish the APSA Teaching and Learning Conference. He was Principal Investigator and Director of the US National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) site on Civil Conflict Management and Peace Science from 2010 to 2020. His research interests include democratisation and political parties in post-conflict politics (with a focus on Russian, Eurasian, and African politics), ethnic politics, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He has published extensively, producing ten (10) books and over 200 journal articles and book chapters. Professor John Ishiyama (photo https://politicalsciencenow.com- Photo by Jason Collin)