Teaching Political Science and International Relations for Early Career Instructors

This edited collection introduces the term “early career instructor” (ECI) as a novel concept in understanding the experience of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, early tenure-track, contingent faculty, and other scholars early in their teaching careers. In doctoral programs, graduate students are often encouraged to prioritize their research over teaching. This leads many early career scholars to identify primarily with the role of researcher. This edited collection introduces the term “early career instructor” (ECI) as a novel concept in understanding the experience of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, early tenure-track, contingent faculty, and other scholars early in their teaching careers. Including a diverse array of authors, this volume brings together essays on ECI experiences in different institutional and national contexts as well as reflections on current practices for ECI support and mentorship. At a higher level, this volume is also a call-to-action to recognize the importance of teaching in the early career stage.