PSCI185

Description

Section information text: As has become clear over the past year, many Americans regard college campuses with deep distrust. American colleges and universities are sometimes seen as bastions of liberal thought, places where students and faculty rarely take the time to seriously engage with the centrist and conservative ideas that hold sway in Washington, DC today. Clark, like many schools, prides itself on being different and unique as reflected in its motto: Challenge Convention. Change Our World. In today's polarized political climate, however, it is important that we think about some of the controversies on college campuses today and how they are perceived by those outside the academy. In cases where these perceptions are not fair, we should try to defend, in a civil fashion, the things that take place at Clark. In cases where critics have a point, we should think carefully about what we might do to welcome different points of view. The goal of this class is to help you understand how others see our community and how we can think objectively about the political choices our community has made about how we discuss controversial issues. Topics considered include speech policies, the political views of faculty and students, the ways in which colleges prepare students for civic engagement, and the role of media and outside funding in campus activities. This is a half unit course graded Pass/Fail