Westmont Magazine New Center to Examine American Democracy
A new Center for American Democracy (CAD) will help Westmont students understand the unique ideas, ideals, institutions and practices of democracy in the United States. The center began launching programs this fall thanks to a generous gift from a new friend of the college.
“We often read about fledgling democracies where entrenched tyrants use the mechanisms of democracy to get elected only to dismantle the practices of democracy to assert their tyrannical will,” says President Gayle D. Beebe. “A core element of American democracy is the importance of learning to live together with difference. That includes always welcoming immigrants into our country and respecting the rights and responsibilities of all citizens to live and work under the rule of law.”
“I’m excited for the intentionality and focus the center will bring to students’ thinking about the ideas, institutions, laws and practices that sustain a free and ordered society in the United States,” says Jesse Covington, associate professor of political science. “We anticipate bringing great guest speakers to campus.”
Students will read and discuss foundational documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers and other classic and contemporary texts.
“The American political environment is increasingly contentious and polarized,” says Tom Knecht, professor of political science. “Thoughtful deliberation plays a key role in a healthy democracy but seems to be in short supply today. The center will emphasize thoughtful deliberation about politics.”
“The center seeks to develop thoughtful and effective citizens who will enter public service, lead effectively, and model moral and ethical conduct and decision-making,” Beebe says.
This fall, Knecht and Covington are establishing summer fellowships so students can conduct original research with political science professors. Knecht taught the inaugural CAD First-Year Seminar on Foundations of American Democracy, and the department is setting up student scholarships for incoming political science majors.
CAD is working with the Westmont Initiative for Public Dialogue and Deliberation, which sponsored a community discussion on immigration in November. The center joined with the Student Life office to organize a voter-registration drive for students, sponsor a panel, “What to Know about the Midterm Elections,” and held an election night party.
In the future, CAD will expand opportunities for students, placing them in internships with local, state and federal government agencies, think tanks, and institutions committed to the common good.
“Contemporary political discourse and participation continue to show a need for more careful and well-informed thinking, rather than emotive, entertaining, or polarizing alternatives,” Covington says. “The center can help meet this need, drawing on the rich resources of politics, law, and theory in the United States, as well as the virtues of humility, curiosity, diligence, and care that characterize a Christian liberal arts education at Westmont.”
“The center seeks to develop thoughtful and effective citizens who will enter public service, lead effectively, and model moral and ethical conduct and decision-making,” Beebe says.