POLS 111 - Political Thinking for the Greater Good

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• POLS 111

This course explores how citizens can enrich their communities and sustain democratic values by collecting, evaluating, and communicating information about political processes, laws, and rights. With this knowledge, students will cultivate the skills necessary to identify, propose, and advocate for tangible solutions that address both micro-level and macro-level societal problems. Students through full consideration of differences that exist within and between communities conceptualize meaningful approaches to problems that serve and assist a wide-ranging collection of people.Instructor Course Description: To many, it is far too often the case where politics is thought about in terms of those that appear to be the “winners” and those that appear to be the “losers” in a policy debate or competition over resources. Instead, this course will stimulate purpose-driven thinking about politics.Students are encouraged to produce tangible solutions to problems that persuasively demonstrate how individual sacrifice or change(s) in behavior can help to advance collective societal needs and interests. Politics is not purely about maximizing individual benefits; in reality, politics involves maximizing benefits for a broader population, also known as the greater good.<br/>Although democratic systems of government do allow for citizen problem-solving and participation of this type, a reliance on elected officials and government employees to advance the greater good has rendered many citizens as passive bystanders within the political process. To sustain democracy into the future, citizens must take a more hands-on role in the pursuit of the greater good.Through the critical analysis of evidence, collaborative creativity, and civil group discourse, students in the course will discover the roadmap to action-oriented politics that engages with complex issues in a sophisticated way. By practicing and applying the aforementioned skills, students can be productive innovators in society not only in the realm of politics but in other areas of life as well.

Credit hours: 3