One place to start–ask yourself and your studentS…
- What attitudes and assumptions do I carry about democracy? About the idea of “civic” or “civility”?
- What values do I carry that matter most to me that I want represented by elected officials?
- What connections can I make between this subject and a healthy democracy?
- What connections can I make between this subject and the issues I care most about in our society?
- How does what I’m teaching/learning about play into issues that are arising in our current political circumstance?
- Why does voting matter to this subject I am teaching/learning about? What other actions from the Social Change Wheel 2.0 matter to this subject I am teaching/learning about?
- What do different candidates or political parties have to say about the things I am teaching/learning about in this course?
If you’re teaching, you could even begin to think about how your methods of teaching embody or could reflect democratic classroom practices, a classroom where everyone is a learner and has a voice in constructing the learning experience. The “Faculty Development for the Democratic Classroom” knowledge hub on Campus Compact gives myriad resources to get you started. Here are a few that sparked our curiosity:
- Bergmark, U., & Westman, S. (2016). Co-creating curriculum in higher education: promoting democratic values and a multidimensional view on learning. International Journal for Academic Development, 21(1), 28-40.
- Tolman, A.O., & Lee, C. (2013). True collaboration: Building meaning in learning by sharing power with students. In O. Kovbasyuk & Blessinger, P. (Eds). Meaning-Centered Education: International perspectives and explorations in higher education. New York, NY: Routledge.
- Stroup, J. T., Bunting, H., Dodson, K., Horne, M., & Portilla, J. (2013). Promoting a Deliberative and Active Citizenry: Developing Traditional First Year College Student Political Engagement. College Teaching, 61(4), 116–126.
- McWilliams, S. (2014). The Democratic Syllabus. PS: Political Science & Politics, 48(January), 167–170.