From: Bill Murin
Date: 4/23/99
Time: 2:28:28 PM
Remote Name: 131.210.2.154
I'm responding to the questions raised by Bill Ball. Good questions all & ones that I am trying to find answers to myself.
Sometimes current events are painful and it is hard to separate the emotion from them in order to make an academic point. Case in point is the recent tragedy in Littleton, Colo. I made the point in class on TH morning that in the aftermath of Littleton, every one and his/her borther and sister was going to have an opinion on what happened, why, and who to blame. I tried to steer the conversation around something Janda, et. al say in chap 1 of "Challenge of Democracy" about the historic tension between freedom and order.
y students, either because it was 8am, the issues were too painful, or because I'm not skilled enough to get them to frame their responses in a freedom vs. order context; they just did not want to talk.
Bill and coleagues, I certainly have no answers for the questions Bill raises. I do know that after almost 30 years of teaching political science the current generation of students knows litlle of American politics or history, are not especially well-informed about current issues in American politics, and don't really seem to care very much. I'm thinking trying some things for Fall which will tie current events into the context of the American political system.
One problem is that things don't happen when you have them scheduled. Could get very messy.
Bill Murin