PARKVILLE, Missouri – Political science students in the Kansas City area are seizing the opportunity and intend to use current events to teach the curriculum.
Dr. Matt Harris has been teaching American national government for nearly nine years, but his favorite semesters are those that fall in an election year.
Even though Tuesday was only the second day of classes at Park University, there was already a lot of material to cover.
Andrea Hannon
“It made me kind of sad that I wasn’t in the lecture hall because a lot of big things were happening – there was an assassination attempt, Joe Biden’s resignation, which was really a historic thing,” Harris said. “You know, you prepare a lecture every day or something, but moments like this are better because there’s a real excitement that goes beyond just ‘Is this going to be on the exam?'”
Harris says it is always better to use examples from current events rather than from the past because students can understand and identify with them better.
Andrea Hannon
“I think it’s pretty important to have deep discussions because we’re living through history and we’re seeing it firsthand,” said Kareem Salame, a freshman cybersecurity major at Park University. “Personally, I’m excited because I get to see all of these changes in history – all of this growth. Like, ‘Hey, there could have been this first female president,’ or Trump could have been re-elected after being assassinated. These are all big things.”
Tuesday’s morning class began with a summary of the Democratic Party Convention.
It is the perfect transition to teaching about voter engagement and voter turnout.
In fact, many students in the class will be voting for the first time this November.
Andrea Hannon
“I’m definitely trying to catch up as much as I can so I can be an informed voter, especially as a woman,” said Ava Villarreal, a freshman secondary education major at Park University. “I’ve never felt more connected to these political issues. It’s definitely been exciting and I can’t wait to see it in the books in 20 years.”
Students says the ever-changing news cycle and political divide can be overwhelming but also exciting, and as a political science lecturer, that enthusiasm for dialogue is everything Harris could hope for.
Kim Ju-Yeon
“I think it can be really easy to kind of retreat and become cynical about the whole process, and there are good reasons for that,” Harris said. “The big hope of my students is always that they get involved, get involved, vote and participate.”
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