Government 301

This weekend marks the end of the 2013 Spring semester. One of the more interesting experiences for me this past semester was teaching the Political Science course, which is part of the upper division requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies. I don’t think I have taught a government class since the 1980’s so it was a lot of fun to do the research and get back into it. With such a small class I was able to do the class very interactively and the students did a lot of their own research including papers and presentations on a biblical theology of government and on a classic text on political philosophy. The final project was a paper and presentation on the students’ home government’s structure and practice with an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Each student then proposed suggestions about how to improve the government of their home island (or California). It was also fun for me since, with a group of upper division students, we were able to do some higher level thinking and I was challenged by their ideas and questions. Who knows maybe some of these students’ ideas will find their way into these island governments some day?