by Eric Royer, Program Director, Reinert Center
As we approach the end of a bitter presidential election cycle, it’s important to consider the myriad ways that these elections might impact our students. American politics are highly polarized. We’re less likely to live next to others that have ideological views different from our own. We’re more likely to be in relationships with others that share our party identification. We’re now more likely to view people from a different political party as a threat to our country’s national security. Just thinking about politics causes close to two-thirds of Americans to feel exhausted or overwhelmed, according to the Pew Research Center.
This polarization now plays out in our classrooms and in the broader context of learning in higher education. DEI offices in colleges located in Republican-controlled states have either been scrapped or reorganized. Campus protests in response to the Gazan war have led to congressional inquiries and calls for campus leaders to resign. It’s even argued that declining enrollment numbers are a reaction to higher education’s overt politicalization.
One thing we can’t do next Tuesday and beyond is bury our heads in the sand and think everything will be the same. It won’t be. Students are going to be preoccupied. They are going to be nervous and anxious about what happens next. We also need to be aware of factors that might linger after election night: What happens if there’s not an official winner (which likely will be the case)? What happens if both candidates are claiming victory? What happens if mass protests, demonstrations, and political violence erupt?
In a Chronicle of Higher Education article titled Students Resent Professors Who Ignore Current Events, Beckie Supiano summarizes research from the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (housed at the American Association of Colleges and Universities), which finds that students expect their instructors to acknowledge current events – ranging from the destruction inflicted by Hurricane Helene to the 2024 presidential election. They expect time and space to be devoted to conversations and dialogue. If not, they’re less likely to feel welcomed or believe that they can meaningfully connect with their instructor, peers, and classes.
This made me think of the small and large ways we can provide these spaces. It might involve devoting class time to conversation and dialogue the day (or days) after the election. It might involve creating a reflective assignment or group activity linking the elections to source material in your discipline. It might involve thinking about the ways you can enact a pedagogy of kindness to students with specific needs, including international students with precarious visas or students from marginalized groups.
What will you do after Tuesday? Will you create space for conversations? Will you give class time to analyze election results and talk about those results with your students? Will you be flexible in your attendance policy or possibly in the modality your class is taught?
My colleague Christopher Grabau’s recent blog post compiles several resources that might be useful as you prepare for these election-related discussions in the classroom. In addition to these resources, consider posting in the comment section how you will approach teaching next week. As always, you can schedule a consultation with Reinert Center staff to discuss the election results in your individual teaching context.
The Notebook 