| Description |
Education advocates lament the “leaky pipeline” in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), whereby students---especially minorities and women---drop out of STEM at successive stages of the schooling system. Defining empirical political science as a branch of STEM, I propose that undergraduate research in political science can help patch this leaky pipeline and expand access to scientific skills and habits of mind. I elaborate three rationales behind my claim: political science is a relatively diverse field of STEM; college primes students to think like (political) scientists; and people often encounter political science research opportunities for the first time as undergraduates, presenting a chance for faculty to “catch” those who selected out of STEM after high school. I substantiate my arguments by drawing on enrollment data, archival documents, the theories of John Dewey, and testimonials from former undergraduate researchers. I also recommend ways for political science departments to provide a meaningful STEM education by enhancing research programs.
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ICAR Research Data Repository for Knowledge Management