The Socratic Method Today
This exciting new textbook provides a sophisticated examination of the Socratic method for
teaching political science students in higher education. It shows how the Socratic method is
employed in the Platonic dialogs, compares its transformative approach to other student-centered
teaching philosophies, and addresses the challenges of adopting the Socratic method in the
contemporary classroom.
The book is divided into three sections that integrate these practical aspects on the Socratic
method with the theoretical considerations of Socratic philosophy while also addressing
contemporary concerns about teaching and learning in higher education.
Section One explores how the Socratic method is portrayed by Socrates in Plato’s dialogs.
Section Two compares the Socratic method with modern and contemporary accounts of
teaching and learning.
Section Three examines some of the contemporary challenges of practicing the Socratic
method in the university classroom today and how teachers can overcome them.
Written in a clear and engaging style, this timely intervention is essential reading for upper
undergraduate students enrolled in courses that specialize in pedagogical techniques, political
theory, Socratic philosophy, and law.
Lee Trepanieris Professor of Political Science at Saginaw Valley State University, USA; editor
of Lexington Books’Politics, Literature, and Film series; and author and editor of numerous
books, the latest beingWhy the Humanities Matter Today: In Defense of Liberal Education
(2017).