Teaching During an Election Season

Teaching During an Election Season

Table of contents

We encourage all instructors to proactively think about how certain events, including US elections, may impact your students and classroom experience. In recent years, politics and elections have produced strong emotions and reactions among students, and political topics have entered classroom discussions even when not directly related to the course content.

The GSB and Stanford University now celebrate Democracy Day on the first Tuesday in November (US election day), and no classes are held.

Should I bring anything up about an upcoming election at all?

Acknowledging important current events helps. Don’t feel you need to be a political expert or that you need to have perfectly-crafted responses. Here’s how Professor of Political Economy Neil Malhotra approaches these moments:

If there’s something going on in the world or in the community, it’s helpful to even briefly acknowledge it. Instead of diving first thing into the capital asset pricing model, I might open class with a quick statement like, “I just want to acknowledge [this event] is going on and I understand [where you’re coming from]. We’re going to start class now.”

Here are some more ways to acknowledge the moment:

  • Recognize that it can be an emotionally-charged time and that some people may be preoccupied.
  • Point out that people will be thinking about and experiencing the election differently.
  • Consider reminding people of the need for respectful dialogue as we each uniquely experience the election.

Here is a sample statement you may use and adapt for your classroom:

With elections coming up, I recognize that political tensions and emotions may be higher than usual, and we may be distracted. I know this has had an impact on me and my work. During this time, it will be especially important to treat each other with care and respect. We all come from different backgrounds and places, so each of us will be thinking about, experiencing, and engaging with this election differently. Please talk to me if you need support with your work in this course. I want to make sure you succeed.

–Adapted from Teaching During a Crisis, IU’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

What guidance has Stanford provided about political conversations in the classroom?

In a message to the Stanford community on January 8, 2024, President Richard Saller invited Stanford students and leaders to engage in debate on difficult topics, but to do so sincerely and respectfully.

In 2024, there will be differing views in our community on many issues. […] Stanford…should provide an intellectual environment that is challenging — one in which we encounter and engage with ideas that are different from our own.

We try to do two things at Stanford that sometimes seem at odds but should not be: We seek to learn from one another by hearing one another’s ideas and views. And, at our best, we seek to demonstrate care, warmth, and respect for each other as members of one Stanford community.

Policies and resources:

How might I facilitate a productive classroom conversation on an election or other political topics?

  • Help students get to know you and their classmates at the start of the quarter to enable community building and set the stage for difficult conversations.

Student quote: In one class we introduced ourselves and the professor shared a little about themselves, like why they got into academia. That helped me understand the people in the classroom. There’s something about showing people who you are that is very enlightening and enables better community building and discussion. This is an important first step to having difficult conversations on topics that are contentious.

  • Give advance notice when asking students to openly discuss challenging topics to give students time to stretch their thinking.

Student quote: If I have to debate something in the moment, I’ll just pick the side I feel most comfortable with. … I don’t want to feel like I can’t successfully engage in the material in a way that makes me feel confident about how I am showing up in class. But getting advance notice to prepare a thoughtful answer really enriches the conversation.

  • Let the students take the lead as much as possible; consider having a couple of students facilitate the conversation.
  • Remember that your role is to get students talking and thinking, not to have all the answers or to lead them toward a particular viewpoint. You can add information and context, but you are mainly providing an environment where all in the classroom are respected.
  • When discussing where election candidates stand on key issues of interest to students, be accurate and fair, whatever your personal views.
  • Acknowledge the professional importance of engaging with multiple perspectives of a political issue. It may be useful to frame the conversation with a statement such as:

Regardless of what people perceive Stanford’s political culture to be, you as business students should be prepared to engage productively with arguments across the political spectrum, since you will soon be working professionally with a great variety of people and perspectives.

  • Anonymously poll student perspectives on an issue before beginning a discussion and share the results to show the distribution of class viewpoints, a technique Professor of Political Economy Neil Malhotra and Associate Professor of Political Economy Katherine Casey use in their courses. Katherine Casey explains her approach to using polling to open discussion on a controversial topic (41:36):

I establish and acknowledge the diversity of perspectives through anonymous live polling. I present a controversial scenario and have students answer a question about it on PollEverywhere, and then I share the results. The first thing I always say is, “Look at the distribution of opinions — every option from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ is populated in the room by your classmates, so be aware that you as a class disagree.” I think that helps diffuse the tension and makes for a more interesting discussion knowing that different points of view are represented.

Here’s how one student described the effect of anonymous polls used in their course:

Student quote: An anonymous poll can help show the entire class that you’re likely not alone if you have a controversial viewpoint on an issue. Seeing the results can encourage us to feel confident enough to dissent from the perceived popular view.

  • Encourage contributions that are curious and engage with multiple sides of an issue. Here’s how Lecturer in Management Jim Ellis approaches engaging multiple perspectives:

When the conversation becomes focused on one side of an argument, I try to get students to build a counterargument. I might ask:

“You seem to strongly hold that position. What would it take for you to change your point of view? What key assumptions would have to be different for you to move from that position?”

“If I told you that someone did the opposite of what you said, why would you think that’s the case?”

“What do you think the strongest arguments are against your own position?”

For more ideas, read the GSB Student Voices Panel highlights to learn how faculty have invited diverse perspectives and productive disagreement into their classrooms. Also visit Building Classroom Community for tips to help set the stage for difficult conversations and our resource on Handling Class Discussions on Sensitive Topics.

What other activities can I use to make space for students to think about an election or political event?

Discussions involving the entire class may not always provide the ideal space for students to share their ideas or experiences, particularly when emotions run high or the majority favor one perspective over others.

The examples below provide a variety of activities in which students can think, talk, and write about the election.

  • Provide space for informal conversation, such as a coffee hour, where students can discuss the election and its impacts. Professor of Political Economy Ken Shotts employs this strategy in his course, offering to meet students outside of class in small groups of 5–8 students.
  • Assign short writing exercises addressing themes relevant to the election or political event. Consider how you might pose a question or offer an example to respond to through the lens of your discipline and the course content. A five-minute paper (an informal writing exercise in which students respond to a question in five minutes or less) can also offer an alternative if or when classroom discussions become overly heated.
  • Discuss election-related questions or case studies based on your course’s subject matter or the skills students develop in your course. See the resources below on election research at Stanford for some starting points.

How can I support students’ well-being during an election season?

  • Consider increased flexibility and leniency around introducing new concepts or collecting major assignments on the days leading up to and immediately after an election or significant political event.
  • Be mindful that your Course Assistant may also be preoccupied with current events, their course responsibilities, and supporting students in the class.
  • Make sure students are aware of University support resources available to them, if they need more support, including Student and Academic Services and Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS).

Additional Resources

Resources to Support Students

Election Research at Stanford

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