
Teaching in an Election Year

As we begin a new academic term in a highly contentious and consequential election year, many of us are thinking about how to best support our students, as learners and as humans, throughout the fall. The sociopolitical tensions outside the classroom are inevitably present inside it as well, often in ways not immediately visible to the instructor. How we choose to engage with these tensions can determine the quality of the learning environment we cultivate—and the quality of the learning that takes place within that environment.
Given Drexel’s commitment to civic engagement, many of our colleagues are planning to incorporate election-related content into courses across academic disciplines and/or to encourage eligible students to vote. But even in courses that don’t engage directly with the election as subject matter, the impact of the election cycle is likely to be felt: students and instructors may experience anxiety, fear, identity threat, a diminished sense of safety, belonging uncertainty, and other forms of psychological distress that can interfere significantly with the learning process.
How do we navigate such powerful emotions in our learning spaces? How do we acknowledge the potential for election-related harms and risks (and their uneven distribution)? How can we continue fostering respectful and inclusive dialogue while also acknowledging the reality of genuine, sometimes unresolvable, conflict? There is no single authoritative answer to these questions, but context-dependent answers will begin to emerge as we initiate honest conversations with colleagues and students. To get the conversation started, here are some considerations for helping our students, and ourselves, navigate the coming election term:
Acknowledge
Against our best intentions, adopting a “business as usual” attitude in a time of crisis can do more harm than good. Students strongly prefer an honest acknowledgement of disruptive events to a lack of response. As we enter Fall 2024, we are experiencing multiple interlocking crises (political, social, psychological, environmental) that are transforming higher education before our eyes. It’s important to continue checking in with our students and making sure the design of our courses reflects the reality of this moment.
Make a plan
Decide on a game plan for the days preceding and following election day. Will you be holding in-person classes? Setting up alternatives (e.g. asynchronous work or group consultations)? Adjusting deadlines? Making space for student-led conversations? Making provisions for election-related work/activism students might be involved in? Do you have a list of campus resources on hand to help connect students to mental health support and bias reporting tools? Do you have a psychological support plan for yourself?
Build a community of respect
More than ever, our students need models of civil discourse and meaningful communication across ideological lines. Tools like community engagement guidelines, regular check-ins, and reflection opportunities can help create an inclusive learning environment in which students see one another as fellow humans and are willing to exchange ideas with curiosity and respect.
Be prepared for hot moments
Investing in building a community of respect can go a long way toward preventing in-class hot moments, but it’s always a good idea to have a repertoire of responses at the ready in case of unexpected disruptions. Helpful in-the-moment reactions include acknowledging the emotions in the room; allowing processing time (e.g. a pause, a written reflection, or an agreement to table the matter until a subsequent class session); asking for clarification; and mitigating harm to students who might have been targets of aggression.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TLC published a series of teaching tips on charged class discussions, trauma-informed teaching, intentional inclusion, and faculty self-care. While the circumstances have changed, many of these recommendations remain relevant today. We invite you to browse them and begin crafting your own response strategy for the weeks to come.
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