This fall, students will get a crash course in the historic election between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Forty students who’ve signed up for the Election 2008 course will learn about everything from the role of the media to the psychology of polling – key information they’ll be able to use at the ballot box during a presidential race that has captured the attention of the world for more than a year.
The timely course offers an interdisciplinary look at the nuances of the race between the two senators. Twelve faculty members from the departments of political science, psychology, biology, sociology, mathematics, economics and engineering will cover specific facets of the campaign.
“I’m excited to be part of this course during an election cycle that promises to be, and in many ways already is, one of the most interesting and consequential in our country’s modern history,” says Psychology Professor Josh Hart, a self-confessed political junkie, who organized the course.
The first half of the course will examine different policy issues that continue to play a large role in the campaign.
Engineering Professor Ashraf Ghaly, for instance, will lecture on energy policy. While every presidential candidate has a plan for this, he says, “every plan is designed to appease the voters so they can get their vote come the November election. These are not energy plans for the future of this nation. The energy plan that this nation needs is one that is designed to address the need for the long haul.”
The second half of the course will look at the candidates’ strategy and tactics. There will be a closer examination of polling practices, the psychology behind polling and why polls are not always as accurate as the public believes them to be.
After Election Day on Nov. 4, the class will discuss voting systems and the psychology of political decision-making before analyzing the candidates’ campaign performance.
This is not the first time a course tailored to American politics in action has been offered at Union. During the 2004 presidential campaign, a similar course drew 150 students. Though smaller, the current course promises to have the same ingredients for excitement and engagement: high drama, perfect timing and academic expertise from a variety of perspectives.
The 2008 presidential race was also a hot topic at Union this summer. The incoming Class of 2012 delved into the life stories of both contenders, with half reading Obama’s 1995 memoir, “Dreams From My Father,” and half reading McCain’s “Faith of My Fathers,” published in 2000. And during orientation weekend, the first-years will enjoy the chance to discuss the campaign with Joshua Micah Marshall, founder of the popular liberal blog, Talking Points Memo.