This Symposium brings together the academic and publishing industry in two key countries (the UK and the US) to analyse and assess the implications of Open Access (OA) journal publishing in the social and political sciences, as well as its different formats and developments to date. With articles by three academics (all involved in academic associations) and three publishers, the Symposium represents an exchange of views that help each of the two sectors understand better the perspectives of the other. More generally, the Symposium aims to raise the visibility of OA among the academic community whose general awareness and knowledge of OA – compared with publishers – has been rather limited to date.

This paper explains the key themes and areas of debate covered by this symposium. While the focus of these papers is predominantly on the US higher education system – with just one paper from the context of a UK HEI – it is clear that some common themes and issues can be identified from the various case studies that are discussed. The question of how to define internationalisation; the process of how to encourage and measure internationalisation; and the design and delivery of an internationalised curriculum – particularly in relation to study abroad schemes – are themes that run across the five papers. Drawing from the work undertaken in this symposium, this paper concludes by suggesting a number of areas and questions that merit further investigation and evaluation.

Major changes have occurred in the teaching of gender since the shift from women’s studies to gender studies. In some institutions gender studies became a separate and interdisciplinary track within social sciences and humanities, while in others it either lacked integration or disappeared altogether. What do these developments mean for gender in political science curricula? In this symposium scholars from different European countries, including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom reflect on the state of gender within political science education. This introductory essay places national experiences within a broader European perspective; highlighting that gender is virtually absent from much of the political science curriculum. Gender and political science courses suffer from issues of supply (rather than demand), such as the persistent under-representation of women academics within political science as well as tight budget constraints. We argue that this is problematic and that gender should be a core part of the political science curricula for three key reasons: (i) politics is about power and power is always gendered; (ii) embedding gender in the core of political science education may positively affect gender equality in the profession and politics; and (iii) it reflects the contemporary resurgence of feminist activism across Europe. We conclude with concrete recommendations about how institutions and individuals can help address the virtual absence of gender, including: the integration of gender-related courses in politics programs; Gender & Politics related awards; big data collection projects regarding women in the profession and gender and politics teaching; and the development of leadership courses for women in politics.

Mainstreaming gender in political science education requires legislation, structures, instruments, and critical actors, not to mention a favourable political context for putting the issue on the agenda. This article examines these issues in the Spanish context with particular reference to the opportunities afforded to the mainstreaming of gender in higher education as a result of the European Higher Education Area and the policies pursued by the Socialist Zapatero government (2004–2011). Upon the back of these initiatives, undergraduate gender and politics studies were introduced for the first time in Spanish universities, having from the most part until then been the reserve of interdisciplinary Masters programmes on gender. While the opportunities to embed gender within political science education have been opened up, this process of mainstreaming has also been characterised by resistance. These issues are unpacked through a case study of the development of the gender and politics network within the Spanish Association of Political and Administrative Science, as well as through reference to the project of a pioneering textbook on mainstreaming gender in political science.

This article reviews and evaluates the process and experience of embedding internationalisation in a UK, HEI School of Social Sciences curriculum. It reflects upon the merits and limitations of using of a peer-reviewed checklist approach compared with alternative approaches, such as the provisioning of online toolkits, resource lists and internationalisation centres or units. Through an evaluation of the peer-reviewed checklist approach, this article sheds light on the gap between the desire by institutions to embed a richer understanding of internationalisation into the curriculum, and the uptake, awareness and implementation of this material by academic teams on the ground. The article asserts that in order to be effective, efforts to internationalise the curriculum need to be embedded in routine academic processes. It favours a ‘mixed’ approach, suggesting that a predominantly quantitative checklist approach can, in certain circumstances, prompt further (qualitative) reflection and engagement by those using the checklists, and, by so doing, act as a tool for change rather than simply providing a means of assessing or measuring internationalisation.

This paper outlines the UK publishing landscape for the social and political sciences, with particular reference to academic journals. The changes and challenges being brought to this environment by open access (OA) are described and the response of UK publishers examined. While some of the initial caution among publishers towards OA in the social and political sciences is beginning to recede, the pressures of funding, perception and engagement remain considerable. Despite scepticism from some quarters about the future role of so-called ‘legacy’ publishers, it is argued that their skills, knowledge and innovation will make them a valuable part of the evolving, and ever more varied, scholarly communications arena.

Until the 1970s neither Australian nor New Zealand political studies gave much attention to issues of diversity. This reflected both the makeup of the profession and the majoritarian nature of the political systems that was the major object of its attention. We argue that feminist organising on both sides of the Tasman had led to greater pluralism within the discipline. Using a comparative institutional approach, we trace the relationship between organising within the professional associations and the acceptance of greater diversity of approach and standpoint. We find, however, that while both countries’ Associations have become somewhat more inclusive, a hierarchy of knowledge still exists that may prove an obstacle to feminist and Indigenous political scientists joining discipline-based departments and programmes.

Research about political science in Latin America shows good progress on issues such as the extension of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the quality of academic production and the social recognition of the profession. Still, the status of women and diversity in the field has been scarcely contemplated. This fact is striking considering that Latin America is characterised by great inequalities, and scientific communities are not isolated from prevailing social prejudices. The article provides a first approach to the question of the status of women and diversity in the discipline in Latin America, examining women’s presence in professional associations, universities and national research systems. Journals and congresses are also examined in order to assess the participation of women as authors and panellists, as well as the extent to which diversity and gender-related issues are addressed in academic production. The findings point to the existence of a ‘critical mass’ of women in the field, although they are outnumbered by their male counterparts. This feature makes the profession in Latin America more similar to political science communities elsewhere and less like other social sciences in the region, which are feminised disciplines.

This article addresses the virtues of gold open access (OA) from the perspective of its impact on social science scholarly associations and their members. OA has clear and obvious virtues, including redistribution downward and outward of research findings. But it also has the potential for upward redistribution or narrowing of the realm of publication, which this author finds troubling. A central question is who will cover article processing charges. The article identifies five potential sources of the necessary funds or ways to reduce the funds that are necessary, and discusses problems with each in terms of likely gainers and losers. It also identifies two potential substantive concerns about the kinds of social science scholarship most amenable to OA. It concludes by observing that, as is often the case, an apparently narrow technological innovation opens large issues – organizationally, substantively, and even morally.

In 2005 the American Council on Education asked the American Political Science Association (APSA) to work towards internationalising undergraduate education. Since almost a decade has passed since these initial efforts, it is crucial to examine how far the discipline has come in internationalising the curriculum. This article will discuss and evaluate how to assess and understand what faculty, departments, and schools have done in pursuing the internationalisation of the undergraduate curriculum through the use of an online survey. It will examine the process of creating the survey instrument and the issues around doing so. The results of the survey, while not the focus here, will inform this discussion in the article. Competing definitions of internationalisation, differences in conceptualisation from American and other, mostly European, perspectives, and questions about how to internationalise at the course, department, or programme level were issues that the survey revealed needed more discussion. Moreover, the article seeks to discuss how to move forward in the assessment of internationalisation efforts.

What have been the losses and the gains of the shift from women’s studies to gender studies for political science in The Netherlands? What are present-day opportunities and how should we move forward? Our systematic analysis of the Bachelor programmes offered by four Dutch political science departments shows that gender is not a central feature in the current curricula. Gender in political science has become dependent on personal interests and engagements at the individual level rather than being sustained by structural commitments at the departmental level. This article argues that a gender perspective should be part of the analytical toolkit of anyone trained as a political scientist. Students should be made aware that gender is a fundamental aspect of the organisation of power and therefore unambiguously political. Gender awareness impacts upon both students’ academic development and Dutch politics given that many graduates take up jobs in or close to the political environment. With this in mind, being equipped with a ‘gender lens’ will enable students to identify and explain gender inequalities and more importantly stimulate them to develop innovative strategies to close the gaps.

Open Access in the humanities and social sciences in the United States faces challenges in developing sustainable funding models. Begun in part to disseminate scholarship more widely and in part to solve an immediate budget problem faced by academic librarians, Open Access has evolved to include several ‘flavours’ that involve different funding schemes. Because the humanities and social sciences emphasize books more than STEM disciplines and because publication funding in humanities and social sciences is problematic, it will be necessary for publishers, librarians, faculty, and university administrators to cooperate to find sustainable solutions. This includes consideration of whether open access is always the model that best serves the audiences sought.

This article provides a case study analysis of the provision of gender and political studies education in the United Kingdom (UK). The article notes the lack of gender and politics modules available to students at the undergraduate level and links this to the under-representation of women within the discipline but also to the wider political and economic context. The article reflects upon the extent to which the study of gender and politics has been promoted within the UK, arguing that despite the key role played by national groups such as the Political Studies Association’s Women and Politics group, the wider discipline is yet to view gender as a core part of the curricula.

This article examines how the political science department of a small, regional university (Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania) has tried to develop activities that will help internationalise the student body and the campus. The article examines, in an attempt to prepare and internationalise students, the departments’ short-term study abroad opportunities. In particular, the article evaluates one course as a case study and proposes a new method aimed at trying to assess its efficacy. In doing so, this article will review the literature on the impact of study abroad, focusing on short-term study (or faculty-led) experiences and discuss the pedagogical motivations of such courses. Finally, the article will propose, and preliminarily test, a new method of assessing short-term study about courses. The conclusion of this article speculates on the final results and details the substantial barriers to replication and augmentation of these programmes.

The purpose of this article is to provide a platform to converse on barriers and challenges faced by three marginalised groups – women, black minority ethnic (BME) groups, and students living with a disability – throughout the course of doctoral study in political science in the United Kingdom. Much of the literature devoted to inequalities in academia tends to focus on established academics already in a post; the experiences of PhD researchers as the future of the profession have largely been neglected. However, in order to understand the underrepresentation of structurally disadvantaged groups, more insight into what is taking place earlier in the career pipeline is necessary. Based on an online survey and a small number of qualitative interviews, the article’s findings are split into seven different themes, reflecting both challenges that are faced by all PhD researchers, such as financial pressures, as well as those such as isolation, institutional support, and perceptions of disadvantage, that were found to be much more pronounced among minority groups. The article is a preliminary reflective discussion that aims to start a broader conversation about equality and diversity experiences among PhD researchers across the discipline, not just in the UK but on a global scale.

Open Access has been around for many years. The only new developments of pressing interest are primarily related to UK university and research management bureaucracies. It is unlikely that the laws of copyright – which protect academic and other authors in various ways – will disappear, and certainly not overnight. Commercial publishers will find a business model that sustains them, and experimentation in novel forms of information dissemination will continue. Current rights in intellectual property are of course subject to critique and change, but internet access to information has not and will not suddenly dissolve the basic economics of information production and consumption.

This article examines Canadian political science and responses to diversity both in terms of who is included in the profession and their reported experiences. Utilizing extant national surveys, including from the Canadian Political Science Association, the findings show that in comparison to the 1970s, the profession today is clearly more “diverse” both in terms of its demographics, as well as what is researched and taught. This in turn relates to changing perspectives affecting policy, practice and research both in Canada and internationally. However, as will also be shown, there are evident and persistent structural inequities in the Canadian academy and the discipline of political science that have deep roots in Canada. Of particular importance in explaining these patterns is Canada’s foundation and legacy as a settler-colony, a feature thrown into sharp relief in light of current efforts at “reconciliation” between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. It is therefore argued that the state of diversity in Canadian political science needs to be understood in relation to both evolving ideas as well as the historical formation of the Canadian state and social power.

Gender studies in Germany is not a fully integrated aspect of political science training. Only very few of the about 70 political science institutes include gender research in their teaching programmes. This is surprising given that there are a number of factors that support a stronger institutionalisation of gender studies, such as the size of the German political science community, an increase in female faculty, and equal opportunity policies that have been adopted by the German Political Science Association. This article discusses the restrictive factors that impact upon gender studies within Germany and compares a 2009 study on the mainstreaming of gender topics in B.A. and M.A. programmes in political science with a more recent 2014 survey. The findings of this study point to the fact that while there have been some overall trends, there nonetheless remain a number of barriers to improving the position of gender studies, not least the small size of many institutes. Indeed, the survey reinforces the position whereby teaching tends to concentrate on what are regarded as the ‘important topics’, while gender becomes, at best, secondary. This reflects a broader finding that demands for more women in academia are easier to implement than the need for a gender mainstreaming of the political science curriculum.

In light of recent trends in the internationalisation of post-secondary education, the rising popularity of short-term study abroad programmes, and the persistent lack of diversity in study abroad, this article presents an option for a short-term, hybrid study abroad programme. The article highlights the Oregon University System Cuba programme and its use of a ‘double hybrid’ model utilising both in-person and on-line coursework and on-campus and study abroad courses aimed to internationalise educational opportunities statewide and to diversify populations participating in international programmes. Though early in its evolution, the ‘double hybrid’ model has much to offer educational institutions, faculty and students alike, either in its entirety or in part.