Class Overview

The 2024 U.S. Elections have happened. The results are in. 

What’s next? 

Democracy is about political participation by everyone on many levels. Voting is the bare minimum that active citizens should do, and it’s restricted to people aged 18 and up. 

So what can you do if you can’t yet vote? 

Quite a bit, actually. 

In this class, we will engage with several key questions to help us better understand and engage with politics in the United States and answer some important guiding questions such as: 

• How will we fight against extremism? 
• How will we use effective persuasion and outreach techniques? 
• Why is America so polarized? 
• How can I find activism opportunities in my community?
• What are some big strategic issues I should be aware of before 2028?
• What can I do to improve democratic processes in my community?

Age Range

13-18

(Note: because of heavy and intense topics, 13-14 year olds should be mature and have effective self-management skills as well as core organizational skills, including openness to different opinions and ability to engage in controversial topics in respectful ways. Please contact instructor if you have questions)

Class meeting information

As a Guided Course, this class has no weekly live meetings. This class includes 30 minutes of live scheduled "office hours" interaction with instructor at a time mutually agreed upon.

Learning Objectives 

• Engage with key strategic issues that affect the political and policy landscape, including setting up for 2028
• Develop thinking tools appropriate for analyzing and researching political topics
• Develop skills in political persuasion and local political engagement
• Understand the role that local politics and policymaking efforts play in how elections are conducted, participated in, and resolved.
• Learn about how policies like registration laws, the Electoral College, first-past-the-post affect the process of elections and explore how they are being challenged/reformed/changed through activism and policymaking.
• Practice articulating and discussing politics, activism, and elections in a scholarly, non-inflammatory way that encourages constructive discourse
• Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• Common Core Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. (varies based on assignments and format chosen)

Supplies

• Learners will need a computer with internet access to utilize the materials provided on Teachable.
• Video and audio resources will be used for this class.
• Learners will be expected to have basic access to news and media sources. A subscription to a mainstream, reliable news source is recommended, but not required.
• Learners will need to be able to use Discord (available as a free computer and smartphone application) for interaction with peers during the course
• Learners should be able to open and view PDF documents, access online articles, and create documents. A Google Drive account is recommended for Google Docs, but other options are acceptable for assignments.
• Email will be the primary "official" feedback and administrative communication channel to preserve privacy.
  

Course Details

The three types of assignments in this course are: 

• Participation
• Independent Reading Book
• Activism projects

Participation Requirements: 

Learners will be expected to participate in at least three (3) Discord discussions each week. 

This includes: 

• Posting a week summary of what you’ve learned
• Answering a selection of reflection questions from the weekly assignments
• Sharing a question to promote discussion
• Responding to a number of other learners’ posts (number tbd based on enrollment)
  
  A template will be provided when the class starts as a rough guideline for what is expected in these posts. 

Independent Reading Book:

Learners will be expected to choose one of the following books to read and report on during the course of the class: 

• The Persuaders, by Anand Giridharadas (see a conversation about the book here)
• Why We’re Polarized, by Ezra Klein (see a conversation about the book here)
• Renegade, by Adam Kinzinger (audiobook recommended) (see a conversation with the author)

Book assignments will include: 

• Creating a reading schedule to practice college-level reading skills
• Presenting information about the book to the rest of the class (asynchronously)
• Answering questions and leading discussions with other learners about topics in the book
• Maintain a reading journal covering comprehension and self-reflection
• Learners are responsible for obtaining a useable copy of the book chosen.
  

Activism Projects: 

Activism projects will start with weekly content and topics and culminate in projects chosen by the learner in collaboration with the instructor. 

Each week will touch on several topics or issues around a common theme, such as “community organizations.” Assignments will center around building knowledge of that topic and engagement with that topic as it relates to the learner’s local community. For example, the assignment may involve researching a local organization that works to alleviate poverty, so the learner will look up and collect information about an organization that does this in their area to share. 

Learners should be proactive about planning their final project and work with the instructor ahead of time. If projects are not sufficiently established by the deadline, the instructor will assign a project (topic and format). 

Sample/suggested topics:

• Ranked choice voting and other systems
  
• Publicly funded elections/campaigns
  
• Engaging with third parties and boosting their visibility locally
  
• Voter registration
  
• Early/mail-in voting
• Supporting local non-profit / public organizations like libraries

Formats:

Formats can be a slide presentation, essay (research paper or autoethnographic-style reflection), journal documenting participation in a local organization, or other format with approval from instructor.

Assignments / Grading: 

To provide flexibility for learners and reduce costs of basic enrollment, this course does not offer grades by default, but will include general feedback when assignments are submitted on time. Late assignments may not receive feedback. Learners are responsible for meeting deadlines and for reaching out if extensions need to be requested (this is part of the metacognitive skills development of this course).

If you would like to receive evaluation and grades for assignments, please sign up for the “Graded” enrollment option. This will enable the instructor to work directly with you before the course starts to identify priority areas for building skills and to develop an evaluation system that fits your learners’ needs. 

Enrollment in the graded option will include a consultation before the course begins about achievement goals and grading requirements for the learner.

Social Norms and Support Needs: 

Social Norms:

Because the topic of this class, and the current political climate, is controversial and emotionally “hot,” we will strive to foster a constructive educational “brave space”. 

Some general norms for this class include: 

• Respect different opinions
• While connecting a position on issues to morality is acceptable, there needs to be a focus on the issues, not on people (especially fellow learners), and there must be openness to valid alternative positions
• No campaigning for a particular candidate or issue. Presenting arguments for/against in an academic context is acceptable, as is a reasonable amount of personal disclosure, “I support this issue because [reasons].”
• Everyone is responsible for not passing on misinformation or disinformation. Fact check sources, and cross-reference to reliable/trustworthy sources where possible. Provide context for uncertain sources (“This was discussed on tiktok, and I haven’t been able to find other sources supporting this yet. What do we think about this?”)
• Do not use ChatGPT or similar LLM (large language model) (also inaccurately called “A.I.”) for assignments. This is against Dayla Learning policy and learners may be removed from the class with no refund. 
• Assertions, especially ones resembling political propaganda/influence tactics, such as “both parties are the same” will be interrogated through Socratic Method as part of learning critical thinking skills.

Support Needs:

Please contact the instructor if you have specific support needs or have questions about this class's fit with your learner's level or needs.

Note on class interaction:

Discord is required for this course. This platform allows for asynchronous, controlled interactions among learners with instructor supervision. This platform also offers practice with digital community literacy. If Discord cannot be used, please contact the intructor regarding reasonable accommodations.