A new class at Augusta University is bringing attention to the topic of race and politics.
Talking about race and politics can be hard for some people. but students at Augusta University can now take a class to help them explore these difficult topics.
Professor Mary-Kate Lizotte says “it’s really important that as a society…and I see it in students all the time, they’re uncomfortable when talking about race and as a society we are often uncomfortable talking about race and these sorts of issues and acknowledging that.”
Like many people, social science Professor Lizotte watched in discomfort as the protests of the death of George Floyd were broadcast for the world to see. As an educator, she knew she wanted to bring the discussion of race and politics to the classroom.
She says “It’s really important that we confront those things and we realize where things have been and where we are now and that students have an opportunity to learn more about these topics.”
Topics like affirmative action and the black lives matter movement are just some of the subjects covered in the discussion based class. Professor Lizotte says she not only wanted to explore the expected topics but the unexpected ones too.
Dr. Mary-Kate Lizotte : “Things like immigration or the alt-right movement…white identity and how that influences and how that affects individuals’ vote and how they think about politics.”
Talking about race and politics peaked the interest of student jaiden pax. She says she believes students like herself need to be aware of the current climate of today.
Student Jaiden Pax says “Regardless of what your politics is post-Trump era, you need to understand what’s going on, you need to understand what these sanctions mean, you need to understand what this immmigration status means and you also need to understand what the underlying racism in our systemic policies that are being forced and how it’s affecting our minority communities.”
Even though the topic may be uncomfortable, professor Lizotte agrees that race and politics is a subject to be discussed.
Professor Lizotte says politics has become that much more polarized and we’re seeing it in students and how they talk about things. They these knee-jerk reactions and get really upset about things but that shouldn’t make people shy away from these topics.
