By Josie Osborne, Campus News Editor
With the upcoming election on Nov. 5, it is more important than ever to understand the intricacies of politics. Whether it is just breaching the surface or diving deeper, delving into the world of policies and national issues is undoubtedly daunting.
With so many different aspects of life being considered—the environment, health, poverty, property, and more—it feels almost impossible to tackle it all. Thankfully, Saint Leo University offers great courses for students who want to take the next step into politics.
University Explorations (UEs), Saint Leo’s alternative to general education, offer a variety of classes that students can take to fulfill not only their program requirements but also their desire to learn more about their government.
UEs are more than just general education classes; they are more dynamic and intense than a typical foundational course. These courses dive right into a particular topic and are exceptionally unreserved, reluctant to oversimplified, widespread curriculums.
From history-based courses like Revolution Now! Democracy in Troubled Times and courses that explore political movements such as Stories of Resistance, to culture-centric courses like Breaking the Code: Language and Culture and Building a Multicultural Society, UEs cover a plethora of information involved in the very policies that students may be voting on.
There are also environmental and economic courses like Evaluating the Predictions of Global Warming and Economics for Life. Even courses like Film: The Art of Choice can help students understand propaganda and media used to promote policies and spread campaigns.
Trista Vallee, a junior English major, reflects on their experiences in Immigration: The Changing Face of America.
“The class has helped me understand how much our legislation and laws have been impacted by immigration,” says Vallee. “My personal political standpoint has been strengthened.”
Courtney Caton, a Student Success Coach at Saint Leo, explained UEs as courses that explore a topic “from the inside out.”
Haley Robinson, adjunct professor of sociology and Saint Leo alumna, further developed this idea, going into depth on a couple of the UE courses she teaches: McDonaldization of Society and Feeding the Planet. For example, in McDonalidization of Society, Robinson says that while there’s foundational material about McDonalds, the course delves much deeper, tackling the detriments of a hyperefficient society as well as the politics of being a consumer.
“Whether it’s how your chicken and the food you eat is processed or how healthcare works,” Robinson says, “it’s all the same, and everything is Mcdonaldized in that way.”
A similar theory can be applied to Feeding the Planet, as the modules delve into a plethora of concepts and information, from overconsumption and hyper capitalist economies to environmental aspects like sustainability and land management.
Therefore, while the course may seem simplistic in name, “it’s application is infinite,” says Robinson. “It’s mentally rigorous.”
While each individual course may not discuss every sphere of politics, it teaches the students skills they need to evaluate government policies through the process of research, understanding, and reflection. In this way, a unique opinion can be formed, which is essential for having a political identity.
The UE courses are made to foster a well-rounded education, and in turn, help students create a well-informed world view, says Caton. This is possible due to both the assortment of UEs available and the smaller class sizes of Saint Leo, which allows open discussion enriched by an educated, reliable source—the professor.
“We teach curriculum that is multicultural, diverse of both opinion and perspective,” says Robinson. She also explained that while the topics of discussion may be uncomfortable, as they challenge previous conceptions and sometimes are sensitive in nature, the class style at Saint Leo provides students with a safe place to ask questions and share perspectives.
Because UE classes go outside the boundaries of a major, they also allow students from a variety of disciplines to engage with unfamiliar material.
“Anyone could gain a new, heightened perspective,” says Caton.
Robinson adds to this, saying, “It’s the idea of being able to engage with more intense, interdisciplinary material that expands your intrapersonal and personal development.”
Robinson also shared her own story from her time as a Saint Leo student, particularly in relation to Immigration: The Changing Face of America.
“[The class] completely shifted my ideology from where I was previously, because it opened my eyes to world of information and nuance and empathy that was not available to me at the time,” reminisces Robinson.
Going beyond the major also allows students to surpass the idea that their identity is singular, that they are just an English major or just a business major. UE classes break through that boundary and remind students of their bones, of their citizenship, and of their humanity.
With registration for Spring open, now is the time to explore the list of UE classes. If there is a UE course you wish to see offered, let us know by completing the survey through the QR code below.
