Students in this all-level Student Originated Studies program will investigate current and historical examples of participatory democracy, including an overview of civics and government structure, elections and voting rights, social movements and topics in Constitutional history. The core text for the program, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, Elections in America (2024-ebook) will form the heart of our weekly seminars, along with articles, essays and films. Students will form research teams early in the quarter focusing on the key themes of the program: Federalism, Elections and Suffrage, Political/Social/Economic Citizenship, Constitutional History. Intersections of class, race and gender will be explored. Sixteen (16) Credit students will submit an end-of-quarter research paper and annotated bibliography; Twelve (12) Credit students will submit an end-of-quarter short essay and annotated bibliography. Student teams will present their research twice during the quarter.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
Students will be awarded credit in political science, civics, and/or American legal history, depending on the nature of student research.