The principal objective for this course is to build civic skills around running campaigns and elections. Whether working for an elected official, government agency, or nonprofit organization, many civic leaders at one point in their career will be working on some sort of campaign. This course will help prepare the next generation for managing a successful one. Students will put their learning into action and work in teams to create a campaign plan for a mock candidate. Students will present their plans at the end of the semester to a panel of bipartisan political professionals and will receive direct feedback on their ideas.
Classes will be a mix of presentation, discussion, reflection, and learning directly from active political professionals or civic leaders. Almost 90% of the class will include guest speakers from both sides of the partisan aisle. On the days that speakers or trainers will be in attendance, that class will be open to the public and will be promoted as a speaker series event hosted by The Patman Center for Civic and Political Engagement. On the days when we do not have a speaker event, students will debrief their learning through class discussion and will be given time to work in their teams on their campaign plans. Two seasoned campaign professionals will serve as mentors to students throughout the semester. Students will walk away more confident in their ability to run a electoral campaign and will deepen their knowledge of the ins and outs of what can make them successful.