SUMMER 2021

CIVIC LITERACY PREPARES STUDENTS FOR ENGAGEMENT

Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Through a partnership with York County’s Department of Voting and Elections, Win- throp recently trained 20 students to serve as voting ambassadors to help register students to vote.

Turbovote Will Inform, Remind Students to Vote Winthrop recently made the decision to add Turbovote to the university’s civil literacy activities. The Turbovote program allows a university to have a dedicated web- site where students can sign up and then learn how to register to vote in their district.

A divisive presidential election, disputed results and an attack on Congress during the election certification have led to some educators ramping up their teach- ings on civic literacy and democracy.

Kelsey Carter ’17, ’19, a social stud- ies teacher at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, said teaching U.S. history during the 2020-21 school year was the best and worst thing possible. “After all, we have quite literally lived history this year!” she said.

Her students, whose beliefs covered the political spectrum, were eager to discuss current events in class. “Students explored the impact of constitution- al principles, like popular sovereignty, checks and balances, separation of powers, and judicial review, from the time of their creation to the events of today,” Carter said. “My students often asked questions about why we, as a country, put civic education on the back burner, and how that instruction could have very well led to a different experience with each of the major events of this year.”

Carter repeated often to her students: “Become in- formed now, so that you can be prepared for action later.”

She added: “I wholeheartedly believe that social stud- ies classes are vital to the creation of citizens that are

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aware of their rights and aware of the actions that they can take based on their rights.”

Winthrop Provides Strong Foundation in Social Studies Winthrop prides itself on being a South Carolina lead- er in producing graduates with a strong foundation in social studies. Two areas of strength are the univer- sity’s longstanding emphasis on voter education and compliance with a state mandate to provide students with expert instruction in the founding documents – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.

Recently, state lawmakers passed the REACH Act, requiring the inclusion of five Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation, and one document high- lighting the African-American struggle for freedom. According to Jennifer Leigh Disney, chair of Winthrop’s Department of Political Science, the department cur- riculum already includes these documents and discus- sions in American Government courses, so Winthrop is ready for REACH Act implementation this fall.

Complementing civic education in the classroom, in March the university was designated as a Voter Friendly Campus for the third time, making Winthrop part of a select group of campuses from around the country to receive the designation.

The Voter Friendly Campus initiative is led by two national nonpartisan organizations, Campus Vote

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Students also will receive reminders of when and how to vote. If a student’s district requires a paper registration, Turbovote sends the student a stamped, addressed envelope and instructions for completing their registration.

In the upcoming academic year, Turbovote will be em- bedded into two required general education classes at Winthrop, thereby introducing most freshmen and sophomores to this online civic literacy tool, said Kata- rina Moyon, who oversees the John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy based at Winthrop.

Critical Thinking Interwoven with Civic Awareness The university’s focus on democracy is taught in conjunction with critical thinking lessons. Amanda

Hiner, a professor of English who works with the general education core classes – Critical Reading, Thinking and Writing (CRTW) and The Human Experience – said both classes equip students to be rational, self-aware and careful consumers of information.

“Since the fall of 2018, we have intentionally integrated teaching on critical thinking and media literacy to help students apply critical thinking skills when consuming media, including news shows/articles and political advertisements,” Hiner added.

A core assumption of the Paulian approach to critical thinking is that teaching critical thinking strengthens democracies by making citizens capable of rational, fair-minded thought and by cultivating intellectual hu- mility and empathy.

“We do not encourage students to adopt particular viewpoints, but rather to learn how to assess and eval- uate viewpoints and draw conclusions based on critical thought and careful analysis,” Hiner said.

Meanwhile, recent alumna Carter says of her high school students: “This generation craves the ability to be a part of the decision-making process and to be heard. They have lived through life-defining moments and historical firsts for their entire lives. They are now ready to connect to their community and provide posi- tive change for the future.”

Art students painted this on-campus voting mural which includes empowering messages for student voting and engagement.