View the TLC at APSA Schedule

Program Co-chairs: Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Towson University, and Erin Richards, Cascadia College

In keeping with the overall conference theme of “Reimagining Politics, Power, and Peoplehood in Crisis Times,” the 2025 TLC at APSA theme is “Teaching Politics, Power, and Peoplehood in Crisis Times.”

• How can political science educators advance students’ understanding of democracy and power dynamics within democratic systems as we prepare students to adapt to and address current crises and challenges facing democratic systems worldwide?

• What is the role of higher education in preparing future leaders and citizens to not merely participate in democratic governance, but also to develop, navigate, and debate the democratic innovations needed to meet new challenges and address threats from anti-democratic forces?

Amid these new uncertainties, teacher-scholars can encourage and model democratic learning and skill-building in the classroom and in co-curricular spaces through educational options that include problem-solving, collaboration, compromise, information and media literacy, and critical thinking. Political scientists have the opportunity—and the need—to educate our students about the benefits, limitations, challenges to, and changing nature of democracy in the 21st century.

We invite scholars to participate in the day-long program which will feature workshops, panels, presentations and networking opportunities for teacher-scholars. TLC at APSA aims to promote scholarly reflection and dissemination of tools, strategies, and pedagogical approaches that enable educators to develop and promote inclusive and democratic forms of political science pedagogy, civic literacy, and engagement—both in the classroom and the public sphere.

The TLC at APSA features teaching and learning workshops that provide opportunities to practice meeting the varied challenges of teaching democracy in the classroom and community.  Roundtables are designed for participants to discuss and debate on a specific topic, facilitated by a group of roundtable participants. Paper presentations in designated tracks that investigate these themes through research are also invited.

The APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC) and the annual TLC at APSA conferences focus not only on the exchange of ideas but also on building a community of teacher-scholars within APSA, who support one another, promote best practices in teaching and learning, and innovate pedagogical theory and evidence-based practices through research. The conference fosters an exchange of ideas about creating a more diverse, inclusive, and engaging classroom. By building connections with colleagues from a variety of subfields, experiences, institutions, and identities, the 2025 TLC at APSA will empower educators to reflect, innovate and imagine how to confront the perils and promises of the project of democracy.

‣ The designated 2025 TLC at APSA Tracks are:

‣ Registration and Housing is Open!

Registration & Housing is Open!

Join teacher-scholars at 2025 TLC at APSA at the APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Vancouver, Canada! All TLC at APSA participants must be registered in order to attend the TLC at APSA in Vancouver. For travel resources and general information, please visit the Travel to Canada or Annual Planning Updates page.

‣ TLC at APSA Program Committee

Thank you to the 2025 TLC at APSA Program committee for their hard work and dedication in planning this year’s TLC at APSA.

• Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Towson University (co-chair)
• Erin Richards, Cascadia College (co-chair)
• Tavishi Bhasin, Kennesaw State University
• Patrick McKinlay, Morningside University
• Rolfe Peterson, Susquehanna University
• Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs, Morgan State University

For any questions or inquiries, please contact us teaching@apsanet.org.