Political Studies 12
The key question for Political Studies 12 is, “How can political power be used in ways that make society a better place to live?” The vision for this course is that students would gain an appreciation for various political ideologies, an understanding of how political institutions work, and confidence that they can knowledgeably use their own political power to make a positive difference in their communities.
Also, in a politically polarized world, it is the hope of the course designers that students would learn to be able to dialogue in meaningful and respectful ways with one another despite differences. We hope that students will gain respect for perspectives that are different from their own, and learn to turn down the temperature on political conversations. We hope that the forums will be opportunities to practice better online political dialogue.
We also hope that students will receive encouragement through this course that they can make a difference in their own city, region, or country, and that their voice is a meaningful one in the marketplace of ideas. We hope that the opportunities they have to “get involved” in this course will spur them to continue to remain involved throughout their lives, not just through voting, but through many types of peaceful civic activism.