Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference II: Centers of Civic Engagement: Supporting Campuses for the 2024 Elections

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Part of Mini-Conference

• Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference II

Session Description

Conditions surrounding the 2024 presidential contest for president and elections nationwide highlight the great challenges currently facing America’s democratic system. At the same time, centers and institutes of politics and civic engagement offer a promising route for colleges and universities focused upon equipping and encouraging their students to participate in next year’s election. Centers and institutes of civic engagement and politics link the study of politics with the practice of politics, and their emphasis on applied research and practice set them apart from departments of political science. For students seeking civic learning and engagement opportunities that help them better understand contemporary American politics and their role in it, centers and institutes meet critical civic teaching and learning needs facing higher education.

This roundtable discussion brings together directors of centers and institutes of civic engagement and politics from a variety of colleges and universities across the country. Roundtable participants will share the mission and role of their center/institute on their college campus, highlight the ways in which their units can support students and campus communities in relation to the upcoming election, discuss the unique strengths but also the challenges faced by centers and institutes, and offer guidance on how to engage with centers and institutes on your campus. This roundtable discussion builds upon research published in the APSA edited volume Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines (2017) and promises to serve as a unifying effort to confront the democratic challenges our campuses and country likely will face this election.

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Chair

• Elizabeth C. Matto Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Presenters

• Laurel Elder Hartwick College

• Karen M. Kedrowski Iowa State University

• Mary A. McHugh Merrimack College

• Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan University of South Florida

• Leah A. Murray Weber State University

• J. Cherie Strachan The University of Akron