People around the world are facing simultaneous challenges from democratic backsliding, political polarization, declining trust in institutions, social media echo chambers, fake news, and government policies that impact core identities and values. Today—more than ever—it is imperative that we offer our students relevant, meaningful, and challenging courses where they can explore these challenges, analyze different political and economic systems, and consider how they can each be informed, ethical, and active citizens.  

I was fortunate to complete a Curriculum Innovation Project (CIP) this past school year to embark on this work. In my CIP, I focused on elevating our Comparative Government & Politics course to the Advanced Studies level and developing a new U.S. Government & Politics course. My goal was to give students the opportunity to expand their intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, communication, research, media literacy, collaboration, creativity, and citizenship skills through their exploration of complex topics in global and domestic politics. In this process, I also connected my CIP to my work with faculty colleagues on our Civic Discourse committee.  

Both courses are centered around the core values of freedom, equality, diversity, democracy, and human dignity. Students analyze the role of institutions, ideas, individuals, internal forces, and international actors in political systems, how and why change occurs over time, and their political, economic, and social impact. Students hone evidence-based arguments, consider diverse opinions and perspectives, continuously reflect on their thinking and understanding of complex topics, and engage in robust civic discourse with their peers in a classroom community based on mutual trust and respect. In both courses, students engage frequently with current events related to our course material and a wide variety of media.     

As a foundational course, US Government & Politics begins with an introduction to American politics: the founding and the Constitution, separation of powers and federalism, major political institutions (Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary), civil liberties and civil rights, elections, public opinion, and money in politics. AS Comparative Government & Politics goes beyond this foundation to explore how and why political systems develop differently in countries around the world, focusing in particular on the distinctions between authoritarian and democratic regimes and why democracies develop or decline. 

In contrast to many introductory courses in comparative government—including the AP course—AS Comparative Government & Politics at Emma takes a case study approach to this inquiry, and students embark on deep dives into the United Kingdom, India, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Russia, and China.     

In both government classes, students choose a research topic important to them, embarking on deep research using academic, traditional, and non-traditional media sources. In the process, they create a unique deliverable to communicate their learning to their peers. For example, USGP organized a Morning Reports announcement on political polarization, and ASCGP represented Emma Willard at the Global Democracy Symposium.

We look forward to the expansion of our conversations around government and politics, in concert with the school’s civic discourse initiatives.

Interested in learning more about these course offerings and others? Visit Academics or the History Department!

Interested in experiencing the one-of-a-kind experience of Emma Willard School? Contact Admissions today!