Tag Archive: international

Experiential Learning in STEP

I’ve unfortunately had little time to keep up with research-related blogposts, in part because of all the research I’ve been doing! But I’ve also been busy with some amazing teaching opportunities. In the last six months, I’ve had the chance to participate in experiential learning and project-based learning programs with WPI students in San Cristobal, Guatemala, and London, England. I’m currently the Associate Editor of the bimonthly newsletter, STEP Ahead, for the Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics Section of APSA, and I wrote about my experience in Guatemala and reflections on experiential learning for our March edition, which I’m sharing below. More will follow on the London trip! ~~~~~ Experiential learning may seem like just another buzzword among higher education…

Overview of the IRiA Simulation

At WPI, I’m slated to teach an intro to International Relations course (GOV 1320: Topics in International Politics) every year. Although I’ve taught the class about half a dozen times before at Brooklyn College, it was in a traditional semester format. To rebuild it to fit WPI’s 7-week terms, I decided to implement a longer-term simulation in class to get students into applying theories and concepts almost immediately. I’ll be writing about the experience over on the Active Learning in Political Science site in the next month or so. And the first post is up!

(Infertility + Lack of Regulation) x Capitalism = Surrogacy Tourism

I tweeted recently about an article by Tamar Lewin in The New York Times, “A Surrogacy Agency That Delivered Heartache,” which looked at the disreputable business practices of a “medical tourism company.” The title of this post, (Infertility + Lack of Regulation) x Capitalism = Surrogacy Tourism, was meant to be a little snarky, but it also has deeper meaning. A lack of comprehensive and clear federal regulation of reproductive medicine here in the United States, as well as spotty coverage by insurance companies, impels American patients to look abroad for other options. While the practice is more common for people seeking cosmetic surgery, clinics are beginning to tap into the demand for assisted reproductive technology (ART). There are different…