A Civic Education for All

Over the first two weeks of the school year, faculty, staff, and students were routinely asked, “Have you registered to vote?” On other days, students and faculty read passages from the U.S. Constitution out loud as they walked to lunch or their next class. This was part of a new initiative on campus to increase civic participation and education.

IU Southeast has long been a part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project (ADP). Over the past two years, however, the School of Social Sciences has met with various community members and ADP leadership to develop new programming to respond to community and student interests.

One of the signature projects of this year was a Civic Engagement Series for the community in partnership with the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library. Over four evenings, students and community members heard from local civic organizations, elected officials, and faculty to build skills and conversations to advance our community. The topics included, Real News vs. Fake News: Know the Difference!, The Legislative Process: Influencing Public Policy Debates, Impactful Communication: Contacting Elected Officials, and Protest 101: Making Your Voice Heard.

Carrie Klaus, a community member who attended the events reached out to let us know, “I found it to be really informative, and I hope that you'll have more offerings for the community like this in the future.” We promise to do just that.

Of course, civic education occurs in our classrooms too. Faculty members working on Model United Nations with students teach them how to have difficult conversations, compromise, and network. Similarly, the role-playing games lead by instructors using the Reacting to the Past Pedagogy featured in this report demand similar skills of students.

The School of Social Sciences promises to stay committed to voter registration drives, enhancing awareness and knowledge about our government, and skill building.