Exploring Democracy Through the Liberal Arts
To provide students, faculty, and staff opportunities to come together and engage in issues related to the electoral process, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Ngoni Munemo spearheaded a new campuswide program, Crossroads: Elections and Practicing the Liberal Arts.
“I’ve spent my career studying democracy and the democratic process, and I have come to understand that they offer us the chance to gather as citizens to think big, creative thoughts about who we are — and who we want to become — as individuals and a community,” noted Munemo in announcing the effort. “While, as a nation, these chances to come together to reinvent or reaffirm our values, to strive for a just and equitable society, and to examine how we are constructing and practicing citizenship happen only periodically, the gift of a liberal arts college is that we get the chance to do this every day.”
Munemo, who is also a professor of government, led a committee of faculty, staff, and students who coordinated the collaborative efforts.
Featured above: watercolor painting by Vige Barrie, senior director of media relations
Table Talks Along Martin鈥檚 Way
Each Tuesday, students on their way to lunch could engage in conversation about their hopes, fears, and questions leading up to the election. Faculty and staff members, including Munemo and President Steven Tepper, served as facilitators.
Thoughtful prompts included:
- Have you ever had a conversation that helped you gain a new perspective on an issue? Tell us about it.
- How difficult is it for you to talk about divisive political issues with people who may not share your beliefs? How often do those chats happen -- at school, with family or friends, online, or elsewhere?
- What is something people misunderstand about your political party or your beliefs? What do you wish they knew?
- What life experiences and personal values make you feel passionately about the issues that matter to you?
- If you could change one thing about politics or how government works, what would it be and why? What impact could that have?
- What’s your vision of a healthy democracy? Do we have components of that here in the U.S.? Where would you say U.S. politics is unhealthy or not functioning well? Are there other countries we could learn from?
- What’s the top policy that made you choose your candidate? What is the most compelling argument a person who disagrees with this policy could make?
- Which of your candidate’s policies don’t you agree with? And what’s one policy from the opposing candidate that you think makes sense?
“While, as a nation, these chances to come together to reinvent or reaffirm our values, to strive for a just and equitable society, and to examine how we are constructing and practicing citizenship happen only periodically, the gift of a liberal arts college is that we get the chance to do this every day.鈥�
Using Data Science to Map the Vote
For data wonks on campus, LITS data science tutors of recent polling data for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election and demonstrated the process behind its creation during a workshop held the week before the elections.
The tutors gathered the most recent polling data for each state and Washington, D.C. Using the data they collected and R, a free, open-source statistical programming language and software environment used for data analysis, cleaning, and visualization, the team created a table of current leaders in each state and Washington D.C., a static color-coded map displaying current electoral vote status by each state with a scale showing proximity to 270 electoral votes, and an interactive map revealing collected information on mouse hover.
The tutor team ensured their code was complete and self-contained, allowing users to replicate and experiment with the visualizations without additional files. Students involved included project lead Qisong (Anrew) Gou ’25, Chenyue (Cynthia) Yang ’25, Ziyi (Via) Zhou ’25, Adam Koplik ’25, and Kiet (Ken) Lam ’26.
Get Out the Vote with HamVotes
The student-led nonpartisan organization hosted a number of voter registration drives throughout the fall semester and coordinated Jitney rides to the local polling place on Election Day.
HamVotes leaders Veronica Smolinski ’25, Anna Duarte ’26, and Gabrielle Johnson ’25 recently shared their reasons for getting involved. “Through education, engagement, and community organizing, we uplift the voices of students and empower them to feel confident in their perspectives.”
HamVotes’ previous work led the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to recognize 51猎奇 as having one of the top six highest voter registration rates among four-year colleges and universities in New York. In addition, informative pop-up micro-sessions were held on how to get involved in local and national politics via contacting your representative, writing for local media, talking with friends and family, and more.
The 51猎奇 community came together to celebrate one another’s creative output around the elections during an event held on Nov. 1, that featured performances, swag, food trucks, and conversations.
Unveiled during the day was the Community Mural on Elections and Democracy, a collectively created mural that explores such themes as the right to vote, free speech as a cornerstone of democracy, respectful expression of diverse opinions, and the role of elections in shaping our future, as were other art, poems, and more.
Additional Crossroads Events
Election Roundtable
Professor of Government Peter Cannavò, Assistant Professor of Government Annabelle Hutchinson, and James S. Sherman Professor of Government Phil Klinkner hosted a discussion focused on assessing the state and stakes of the presidential and other campaigns.
Experts On Campus
Several campus experts, as well as guests, hosted discussions in the weeks leading up to Nov. 5.
- Matthew Fox-Amato, associate professor of history at the University of Idaho, shared how photography turned American presidents into celebrities.
- Levitt Center lunch talks with Sam Rosenfeld, associate professor of political science at Colgate University, on “The 2024 Elections in an Era of Hollow Parties”
- Luke Perry, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Utica University, on “The 2024 Presidential Elections: Key Issues and Regional Dynamics”
- Alan Cafruny, 51猎奇’s Henry Platt Bristol Chair of International Affairs and professor of government, on “The November Election and the War in Ukraine: What are the Prospects for Peace?”
Late-Night Breakfasts
Whether at “Elections and Yap” in Commons or “Politics and Pancakes” in McEwen, students could opt for an evening study break to engage in facilitated discussions.
“DIY Democracy”
Burke Library hosted “Visualizing Democracy: Objects from Special Collections and Archives” along with button- and zine-making workshops in its makerspace.
F.I.L.M.
The F.I.L.M. series featured relevant showings: Associate Professor of History Celeste Day Moore presented Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (2022) and Assistant Professor of Digital Arts Anna Huff hosted Feels Good Man (2020), a case study in how social media has changed culture and how trolling has come to define U.S. politics.
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