What does a political science instructor do?
Political science instructors must have an undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree, though some community colleges will hire teachers with a master's degree. This career requires skills in critical thinking, interpersonal, speaking, and writing. Political science instructors are responsible for preparing and delivering undergraduate and graduate lectures on politics-related issues such as political thought, international relations, democracy, and citizenship. They are also responsible for evaluating and grading student work.
Political science instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real political science instructor resumes:
- Update and follow approved course syllabus.
- Develop course work programs adopt by HCC student handbook.
- Develop syllabus, teach all areas of political science, create tests and homework assignments, grading, etc.
- Publish an article on legal reform in Kazakhstan analyzing legal aspects of the foreign investment climate in the country.
- Develop language and teaching skills of international graduate teaching assistants for successful delivery of content cross culturally.
- Prepare political science materials and present them through PowerPoint.
- Have developed professional presentations using PowerPoint and other programs vital to learning and supporting teaching plans.
Political science instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Political Science Instructors are proficient in International Relations, Syllabus, and Comparative Politics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Political Science Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- International Relations, 19%
Teach upper and lower level International Relations, U.S.
- Syllabus, 10%
Provide each student with clear course expectations, evaluations and timeliness through carefully written topical outlines and approved, standardized syllabus.
- Comparative Politics, 10%
Offered courses and conducted research in political behavior, comparative politics, and survey and quantitative research methodologies.
- Public Policy, 10%
Instruct classes in the Political Science discipline such as Public Personnel Management, Introduction to Public Administration and Public Policy.
- Public Administration, 7%
Engage students' interest in public administration through political science.
- Economics, 7%
Trained debaters in comprehensive research skills for materials in economics, philosophy, property and politics.
Most political science instructors use their skills in "international relations," "syllabus," and "comparative politics" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential political science instructor responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a political science instructor to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "postsecondary teachers need to work well with others for tasks such as instructing students and serving on committees." Political science instructors often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "graduate assistant, department of anthropology (fall 2016) interpersonal communication. "
Speaking skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling political science instructor duties is speaking skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." According to a political science instructor resume, here's how political science instructors can utilize speaking skills in their job responsibilities: "conducted public speaking seminars and programming to assist students with improving written and spoken english. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for political science instructors to perform their duties. For an example of how political science instructor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "postsecondary teachers need strong writing ability to publish original research and analysis." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a political science instructor: "aided students in writing research papers and creating presentations.scheduled appointments by calling students and following through. ".
The three companies that hire the most political science instructors are:
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia4 political science instructors jobs
- West Virginia University2 political science instructors jobs
- University of South Carolina2 political science instructors jobs
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Compare different political science instructors
Political science instructor vs. Adjunct lecturer
An Adjunct Lecturer is responsible for teaching college classes. They prepare course guides, teach content that matches courses standards, and assist students with inquiries outside of class.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a political science instructor are more likely to require skills like "international relations," "comparative politics," "public policy," and "public administration." On the other hand, a job as an adjunct lecturer requires skills like "c++," "excellent interpersonal," "undergraduate courses," and "rehabilitation." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Adjunct lecturers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $95,827. In contrast, political science instructors make the biggest average salary, $51,002, in the education industry.On average, adjunct lecturers reach similar levels of education than political science instructors. Adjunct lecturers are 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Political science instructor vs. Government professor
Assistant Professors of Public Administration ensure that learners get involved in the lecture room debates and discussions. They grade the students' research projects, exam papers and prepare final report card reports. Assistant Professors of Public Administration evaluate the learners based on their knowledge, behavior, and participation and provide feedback to each parent or learner. These professionals recruit learners for different programs provided by the learning institution.They will also research other crucial subjects to add to the institute's programs.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that political science instructor responsibilities requires skills like "international relations," "syllabus," "comparative politics," and "public policy." But a government professor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "political science," "course objectives," "federal government," and "distance learning."
Government professors earn lower levels of education than political science instructors in general. They're 8.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for political science instructors in the next 3-5 years?
John Porter Ph.D.
Executive Director and Online Instructor, AGWA - American Grant Writers' Association, Inc.
The technology is that younger, individual writers may like to stay up on the most recent software and communication methods. Whereas funders, private, corporate, and government, tend not to keep up as fast and have older software versions. This means that the newest and glitziest software may not be compatible with the funder's software when submitting grant proposals and applications.
Political science instructor vs. Assistant professor of public administration
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from political science instructor resumes include skills like "international relations," "syllabus," "comparative politics," and "public policy," whereas an assistant professor of public administration is more likely to list skills in "public finance," "emergency management courses," "doctoral programs," and "press releases. "
Assistant professors of public administration typically earn lower educational levels compared to political science instructors. Specifically, they're 20.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Political science instructor vs. International relations professor
Types of political science instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
