ERIC Number: EJ1161048
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-1822
EISSN: N/A
Leveraging a National Opportunity to Create a New Model for Civic Engagement
Rodriguez-Farrar, Hanna; Finley, Ashley
Liberal Education, v103 n3-4 Sum-Fall 2017
The presidential and vice-presidential debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates have been among the most-viewed television programs in history. But much has changed since the debates were first televised in 1960. Information channels that were once the domain of traditional media (i.e., television and print journalism) are being redefined by new media, using tools such as streaming news feeds, push notifications, and multimedia stories. Today, people do not find the news; the news finds them. This global shift in how the media create and share news has profoundly shaped political behavior and civic engagement among all age groups, but perhaps none more deeply than the millennial generation. Like young people of the past, millennials participate in protests and rallies--but they also express their views through tweets, blog posts, YouTube videos, and Instagram photos. Millennials are not any less politically or civically engaged than previous generations. Their engagement just looks different. Recognizing the relevance of new modes of engagement, the Commission on Presidential Debates sought to enlist a higher education partner to create an initiative for the 2016 election cycle that would speak to college students, especially traditional-age students who are millennials. Dominican University of California is a small private university located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dominican is explicitly committed to equipping students for informed, ethical global citizenship. Community engagement is one of the university's founding pillars and one of four cornerstones of the Dominican Experience, the institution's unique framework for student learning and success. In this article, the authors describe the program the university created to engage civic participation among millennials during the 2016 Presidential Election.
Descriptors: Citizen Participation, Models, Relevance (Education), Age Groups, Political Attitudes, College Students, Citizenship Education, Program Descriptions, Elections, Political Campaigns
Association of American Colleges and Universities. 1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 800-297-3775; Tel: 202-387-3760; Fax: 202-265-9532; e-mail: pub_desk@aacu.org; Web site: http://www.aacu.org/publications/index.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (San Francisco)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A