by Kerry W. Foxx
EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA/Pexels
Today’s political climate is charged, if not downright hostile. Colleges and universities aren’t immune to this reality; in fact, they are increasingly targets of political intervention like educational gag orders and are simultaneously epicenters of political discourse, engagement, and research.
Dr. Nancy Thomas, director of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), encourages colleges to embrace this tension by reminding us that “higher education’s purpose, beyond career development, is to educate for a stronger, inclusive democracy.” This civic purpose is also described in a report commissioned by the Department of Education called, The Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future. The report argues that colleges and universities are among the nation’s “most valuable laboratories for civic learning and democratic engagement.” It also acknowledges that robust civic learning is only available to a minority of students and calls for a massive investment in higher education’s capacity to “renew the nation’s social, intellectual, and civic capital.”
A real challenge to this vision is that people, faculty and staff included, don’t want to talk about politics. Some view it as taboo while others don’t believe it’s their responsibility to do so; and, still, some are worried about getting in trouble by running afoul of policy or law. Dr. Thomas describes this tension well when she says, “while some educators shy away from this role, it’s important to remember that the words ‘political’ and ‘partisan’ are not interchangeable. It is not OK to endorse a candidate or party. It is OK — indeed, it’s the job — to talk about political issues and teach the public relevance of every discipline.”
This distinction between political and partisan is key, and it can be tricky to support students’ political engagement without falling into the trap of being partisan. This article will explore strategies for achieving this delicate balance.
Check Your “Political Ego”
Knowing yourself is oft-understood as necessary before trying to help somebody else. It stands to reason that knowing how important politics is to you and why — your political identity — is necessary before you try to engage and develop students in this area.
Dr. Bobbi Gentry describes four stages of political identity development: (1) fully developed, (2) somewhat developed, (3) exploration, and (4) diffusion. As we progress through each stage, we become more firm in our commitment to or rejection of partisanship, have multiple policy beliefs, and understand politics as salient to our lives.
Unpacking your relationship with politics can help you be more aware of your biases and how they may impact your interactions with students. For example, if you have a strong identification with a particular political ideology, you may unconsciously promote those views in your interactions with students, which can impact their learning. When you recognize that political identity development is a process and reflect on your own, you can more easily create a safe and supportive environment for students to explore their own beliefs and values without feeling judged or pressured to conform to your views.
Check Your Intentions
Your intentions matter when it comes to supporting students’ political engagement. Your goal is to create an environment where students feel supported in exploring their beliefs and engaging in civic activities without feeling pressured to conform to a particular ideology or perspective.
We all have personal opinions and beliefs. It’s natural. It’s also essential to be aware of your own biases, to recognize when they may be influencing your behavior, and to take steps to ensure that your support for students is grounded in their own agency and decision-making.
Approach discussions and activities with an open mind and a willingness to listen. Encourage students to express their views and share their experiences, and be prepared to engage with them in a constructive and respectful manner, even if you disagree with their perspective. By acknowledging your intentions and being mindful of your own biases, you can create a supportive environment that allows students to explore their political beliefs and engage in civic activities with confidence and independence.
Check Your Sources
In today’s interconnected world, we are constantly bombarded with information and opinions from a wide range of sources, including social media, cable news networks, and online news outlets. It’s easier than ever to access information and more difficult than ever to ascertain the validity or biases of the information you’re accessing.
Seeking out a range of perspectives from different outlets and platforms can help you to develop a more nuanced understanding of current events and political issues. Diversifying your news sources also challenges your worldview, increases your conversational capacity, and decreases anxiety about political issues and current events. This intrapersonal development is vital in order for educators to overcome perceptions of political bias among students, which is a necessary step in the process of supporting their development.
Diversifying your news sources requires some effort and intentionality. The Southern Poverty Law Center provides a five-step process to help you take control of your media consumption habits and some teaching tools to help you support your students in doing the same.
Check Your Pedagogy
Focus on teaching students how to think critically about political issues, evaluate sources of information, and analyze arguments from different perspectives. These foundational skills support students’ political identity formation by teaching them how to independently analyze political issues and evaluate them against their personal ethics and morals.
Supporting students’ political engagement isn’t always easy and can be downright scary; but, as Dr. Thomas reminds us, it’s the job. Applying the four strategies discussed in this article will not only help you to more effectively support students as they develop their political identities, it’ll help you to navigate your own development as well.
Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and don’t imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs.
