Dr. Danielle Vinson: Creating a Classroom Space for Students to Question, Think, & Disagree

Dr. Danielle Vinson’s section of POL 101: American Government is an introduction to American government and politics. In its approach, the course aligns with On Discourse and focuses on one of the most consequential features of politics today: political polarization. According to the course syllabus, “polarization affects the institutions of government, making it nearly impossible for government to solve chronic problems facing the country and raising concerns about the proper functioning of the checks and balances established in the Constitution.”

To better understand and address this socio-political issue, Dr. Vinson incorporates frequent conversations about current events. Students are encouraged to look closely at what is happening, how people are reacting, and whose interests are involved in those reactions. Beyond being informed and reflective, the course includes a research project with a field interview component that requires students to observe and talk with people on different sides of the issue they are researching in order to better understand what they think and why they think the way they do. Specifically, students select at least four people who share their political party and are part of groups they identify with, racial or ethnic, economic, religious, or other aspects related to background and identity, and, importantly, at least four others with different demographics who think differently from them.

Notably Dr. Vinson pulled comments from the final student reflections that are relevant to the goals of the On Discourse Initiative and civic engagement. She did not specifically mention On Discourse, discourse, or civic engagement in the assignment or in class discussion of the assignment, so these responses reflect what was on students’ minds, not something prompted by her.

 

Student Comments: (Direct quotes from reflections. These are from 12 different students.)

–This semester, I feel like I’ve learned to be more open to talking with the “other side”, and I’d encourage others to do so too during a time when so much is pushing the limits of our normal political structure that is protected under the Constitution.

–This course has changed my perspective and many of my opinions on politics. This class has led me to be a lot more moderate than when I was coming into the class. Learning what polarization and the unwillingness to compromise has done to the American political system has led me to be more willing to compromise on a lot of issues. I have realized that although standing strong on your beliefs is admirable, in a country that is as diverse and polarized as the United States, compromise is beneficial to all Americans.

–Everyone should understand that participating in civic activities holds significant importance. Each of us contribute to shaping the future through voting or organizing activities and by remaining informed.

–The class has really challenged my natural ways of politically thinking and opened me up to new information on many important topics in this country… Being able to interact in the classroom in what feels like a meaningful and important way has been a really good breath of fresh air… I feel like I am actually growing in perspective and learning new things about how to interpret the government’s actions that will have a lasting impact on how I vote and participate in the future… I have furthered the ability to change my perspective based on simply being open-minded. It is very easy to go into a conversation or “debate” with your mind made up and decided prior to anything the other person/people say is wrong or immoral. Just being able to own the fact that I don’t know everything, and will never have a 100 percent grasp on anything, allows you to look at issues in politics and outside with a mindset of just trying to understand and help the problem.

–It is nice to know the reason why we are so polarized and ways to potentially fix this. This will be really useful for myself, and I think learning more about causes of polarization would be beneficial to pretty much every other United States citizen. If everyone knew what caused this polarization it might help reduce tensions and help people hear each other out a little more.

–This class has taught me how to approach the information I receive and remember that, even in politics, each side has a story. Understanding how both parties justify their actions has helped me empathize with others who hold different views, and I’ve applied this in my daily life. It has also helped me reduce ideals within myself that contribute to polarization. Talking to individuals with different perspectives has shown me that they aren’t bad people—they simply see the world differently than I do.

–I would say that this class has made me more open minded on issues between the democratic and republican party instead of blatantly closing off any sort of opinion held by the other side. In addition, this class had exposed me to different perspectives within the two-party system, which proved to me that a majority of people are not extremists when it comes to their views but are rather more moderate.

–In every class, students were speaking and asking thought-provoking questions. Politics is all about interacting with our ideas… I think the most important thing for my fellow citizens to understand from what I learned in POL 101 is that we all have the power to make change in our country.

–The many opportunities I have had for healthy political discourse has also inspired me to remain hopeful for the future. This politics class has also provided me and other students with a great space to discuss our reactions to current events, and this is something that I have realized is very important. I think that if my fellow citizens all understood how valuable discourse is between people who don’t always agree, it would solve much of the issues that exist today on polarization.

–One of the most important takeaways for me was realizing how polarization affects everyday citizens, not just elites. It influences where people live, who they trust, and even how they view facts. Media — especially partisan media — plays a powerful role in deepening divides by offering echo chambers rather than fostering dialogue. However, I also learned that polarization is not inevitable. Institutional reforms, changes in political culture, and deliberate efforts to encourage cross-partisan engagement could help rebuild some of the trust that has been lost.

–I learned more than I expected, and it made me care more about what’s happening in our country. I’m walking away from this class feeling more informed, more aware, and more motivated to pay attention to American politics.

–If both sides cannot learn to compromise more on issues, it will only lead to more extremist policies, and further creates polarizations, in essence, this creates a positive feedback loop. This is yet another concerning aspect of what the future may hold. Of what I have learned this semester, I believe that the most important concept for my fellow citizens to understand is the importance of looking at more than one source of information for their news. Moreover, I also think that it is very important to look at local issues and politics as well. This is important because it gives citizens more than one point of view and can increase more moderate policies as well as reduce polarization.

–This semester in American Government has given me a much better understanding of American politics. Specifically, it has allowed me to look for and analyze the problems facing our government with nuance.  The knowledge of polarization and its effect on government has also changed my mind on how I see extremists on both sides. If anything, I have moved from disregarding these people and viewing them from a place of irritation towards people with extremist ideologies, to considering the government’s shortcomings in withstanding polarization.