Beyond the Classroom
The Department of Political Science and International Studies offers many opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom. Most recently our students were very involved with the 2008 presidential election and the 2010 California Gubernatorial election. As a Department we know how important it is to engage students and provide venues for promoting civic involvement and political participation.
The Vote Smart Challenge events in 2008 and 2010 and the October 12, 2010, Gubernatorial debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman provided unique opportunities for our students to participate in the political process.
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Vote Smart Challenge 2010Building on the success of the Vote Smart Challenge 2008, Vote Smart Challenge 2010 was a university-wide event held two days after the California Gubernatorial Debate. Five student teams covering the issues of energy, health care, immigration, water, and education presented in an informative, creative, and entertaining manner an overview of each issue, why the issue was important to Californians, and what the two main candidates for governor proposed to do about each issue if elected. The peer-to-peer format was particularly important for engaging young voters in the political process. The audience participated throughout the presentations using instant responder devices to express their own opinions about the issues. The goal of Vote Smart Challenge 2010 was to motivate student, faculty, staff and community members to become involved in the political process by providing a platform for discussion, debate, and "challenging" of each other to become active citizens who have the ability to hold government accountable, influence policy, and preserve the legitimacy of our government |
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The California Gubernatorial Debate 2010
The Department of Political Science was thrilled to be a part of a once in a lifetime opportunity to host a major political debate. Our students were involved in a variety of ways—they volunteered the day of the debate, worked closely with NBC producers and crews, attended panel discussions with journalists, producers, and researchers in the days leading up to the debate, produced video commentary, and attended the live debate. Additionally, the Department of Political Science conducted focus groups on the night of the debate. Many students participated and were interviewed by a number of different media outlets including television, radio and print sources. The focus groups gave students and members of the local community an opportunity to share their thoughts, perspectives, and attitudes about important policy issues in California. Visit the official Debate website at www.cagovdebate.com. |
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Vote Smart Challenge 2008Because the presidential election of 2008 was a historic event, Dominican University of California created Vote Smart Challenge 2008 to help students, faculty, staff, and community members to learn about important policy issues. Teams of students researched the two candidates' policy positions in the areas of health care, education, the environment, and foreign policy and presented their findings to an audience of over 800 people. It was an American-Idol-meets-Presidential-politics event and it was a huge success. The campus buzzed with excitement and, as a result of the positive response by everyone involved and in attendance, the University decided to host the 2010 California Gubernatorial election. |
