The Benefits and Challenges of Faculty–Student Research Partnerships

This chapter engages with the theme of doing research with students. As many of us are confronted with conflicting demands to publish excellent research, do fabulous teaching, and engage in related (and sometimes not so related) administrative tasks, it is worth considering ways in which to combine teaching and research. While one may ideally want to teach subjects that exactly fit our research expertise, we are not always able to do so, for instance, due to constraints that follow curriculum design. Another possible way of combining teaching and research is through research partnerships between faculty and students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that such partnerships are relatively rare in political science. However, faculty–student research partnerships are quite common in disciplines such as engineering, psychology, and the sciences. Consequently, there is also abundant literature in those fields that engages with the design of such partnerships and the accompanying benefits and challenges. What can political science learn from this literature? This chapter outlines the main benefits and challenges of faculty–student partnerships through a discussion of literature blended with practical experience. It concludes by offering advice that might inspire you to engage in faculty–student partnerships yourself.