FACULTY: As you finalize your plans for the fall semester beginning next week, please consider whether your Constitution Week (9/12 – 9/17) schedule might allow your class to participate in a Coffee & Conversation, Pizza & Politics, or Donuts & Deliberation session hosted by the American Democracy Project.
The class can be on a topic of your choice related to the U.S. Constitution. Examples include:
-Free speech on college campuses (1st Amendment)
-Free speech vs. censorship in K-12 schools (1st Amendment)
-State & federal gun laws (2nd Amendment)
-State voting laws and voter rights in 2022 (“Michiana” and Beyond)
-The “Founding Fathers” (are revere, rebuke, and ignore our only choices?)
-Mass incarceration and racial inequality (5th, 6th, and 13th Amendments)
-The electoral college (keep it, reform it, or abolish it)
These sessions can be CUSTOMIZED for your students and discipline. You and your students can present a topic and lead a session for the campus in coordination with the ADP — or — our ADP team can present the topic and provide all learning materials, and moderate the discussion for your students. All are designed to be highly interactive and engaging. Your input is welcome at all stages of the planning process. You can have as much, or as little, involvement as you desire.
With your permission, and as space permits, we will open the session to additional classes and/or other interested individuals on campus. Private sessions for your class are also possible.
IN ADDITION, please consider whether you want to have our IUSB ADP Democracy Fellows visit your classroom this fall to assist students with voter registration, talk to them about the midterm election, and let them know about critical dates, information, and opportunities related to the 2022 midterm election.
Contact American Democracy Project Director, Elizabeth Bennion (ebennion@iusb.edu) to learn more about these FA22 opportunities to incorporate civic education and engagement into your IU South Bend classes.