Welcome to the new academic year! At the end of every semester, I ask students in my intro political theory course to articulate practical lessons based on the theories we studied.* A guiding idea for this group was that pre-political assumptions condition or constrain political arguments.
What does that mean? Before we start to think about politics, our personal experiences have shaped or molded our attitudes about what people and the world are like so that political thinking is always already limited in certain ways. In the lessons below, we have highlighted habits of thought and action that are important for citizens in a democracy. Many of these lessons also make for better experiences in college! The students share these lessons with fellow students and the campus community in the spirit of wanting to better our country.
DO THE MATH
Ben Fritz: 15 minutes x two classes x 15 weeks=450 minutes of opportunity to connect with people. That’s seven and a half hours.
Communication is key. Put your phone away before class: 15 minutes, twice a week, and over the course of a semester is a lot of time that can help you make new friends. (Haddad)
SLOW DOWN
Casey Foley: Slow down and take the time to connect with people. Take the time to have a conversation. Protect some time just to be, to think, and to be open to others. (Snyder, Plato, Locke)
N’dy Francis: Slow down and figure out what’s happening around you before you react in a way that makes your situation worse. It’s hard living in America without fearing the worst and being anxious about what’s going to happen next, but we need to relax our minds and make sure we understand the situation around us before we panic. (Snyder)
Anny: Increase your intentionality. To take the first step: mean what you say, and say what you mean. Focus on quality over quantity. (Plato)
SPEAK UP
Mason Zimmerman: Don’t be afraid to respectfully ask questions. Asking questions can help you gain a better understanding of someone else’s point of view if you disagree with them. (Snyder)
Hanna Nowak: Talking with other people and branching out can open doors and give you new opportunities. If you don’t reach out, you lose out on opportunities. (Snyder)
Will: Speak up when you feel it is necessary and be conscious of the world around you. (Snyder, Plato, Baldwin, Machiavelli)
Kevin: Talk to people outside of your comfort zone or normal circle in order to better the society to which you belong. The easiest way to have an understanding of others is to simply speak with them. An individual needs an understanding of others to be able to fully and consciously be involved in a political society. (Locke, Snyder)
Katelyn Donovan: Don’t be afraid to speak out. Speak with knowledge and not only your personal opinion. Take advantage of your access to resources and higher education. (Plato, Snyder)
LEAN IN
Sean Superka: Don’t always go along with the majority thought. Take time to voice your opinion and perhaps change your opinion through a shared exchange of thoughts. Your own opinion can help voice others who are afraid to speak up. (Snyder and Plato)
Ross Huffman: The development of relationships and connections with others is the difference between having an understanding of the world that increases our shared level of education and a complacent ignorance that perpetuates damage and polarization. (Snyder and Plato)
Danya Abou Afash: Watch your choice of words because they hold significance. Unconsidered word choices can be hurtful, as thoughtful language can be crucial. Care for language in addressing others is a manifestation of love. (Snyder, Plato, Baldwin)
Hannah Golden: Make meaningful connections with one another by being mindful of the language you use, and be intentional in communicating with others, even through small talk! (Snyder, Baldwin)
CARE ABOUT TRUTH
Katelynn Hazeltine: Be open to changing and learning as a person. (Plato)
Nadia Hendrixson: Educate yourself. Don’t be quick to believe what you see in the media, as there is bias and misinformation. Read books! (Snyder)
Kourtney Cantrel: Keep an open mind and be conscious of other people and who they are. (Baldwin)
John Cole: Be wary of misinformation and be thoughtful about nuances when a story is told from several perspectives. (Machiavelli)
Jack Ertle: Understand the truth. Don’t just believe what people tell you. Do your research. As a student, you can use your database privilege to access peer-reviewed scholarship. (Snyder, Plato, Demyan)
What does it mean to be political?
There isn’t a single answer. Different political theories frame the study of politics in a variety of ways. Throughout the semester, the lessons articulated above arose during the study of the following texts:
- Plato, Apology and Crito
- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
- John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government
- James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
- Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, graphic edition