The Course:
American Democracy and Critical Perspectives
Last Fall, I was fortunate enough to be selected as the
first faculty member from Daemen College to participate in the exchange program
with
the American Studies Center of the
University of Warsaw (ASC UW). The ASC is one of the largest American
Studies departments in Europe offering interdisciplinary B.A., M.A. and
postgraduate programs. As one ASC student explains, the “
program extends into many areas of research including history,
political science, literature studies, cultural studies, and social sciences
which gives us a broad perspective on America and allows students to pursue their
various interests.”
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The American Studies Center (OSA-UW).
Photo credit: Lisa Parshall
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The course was designed to provide a critical view of American
democracy with respect to the treatment of minority groups within the United
States political system. I chose as our focus, the role of Native Americans and
African-Americans—two groups with distinct, yet in some ways parallel experiences,
as “the first and the forced” among our citizenry (Leiker, Warren, and Watkins
2007).
Felix Cohen, the foremost scholar on Federal Indian Policy,
wrote in 1953: “Like the miner’s canary, the Indian marks the shift from fresh air to poison gas in our political atmosphere; and our treatment of Indians, even more than our treatment of other minorities, reflects the rise and fall in our democratic faith” (390). Cohen’s seminal work included the following observation by Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) director, John Collier:
“What sort of treatment dominant groups give to subject groups- how governments treat minorities– and how big countries treat little countries. This is a subject that comes down the centuries and never was it a more burning subject that in this year (1939). So this is the question: “How has our country treated its oldest and most persistent minority, the Indians. How has it treated them, and how is it treating them now?”
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Felix S. Cohen, author of the Federal Handbook of Indian Law
Photo Credit: www.doi.gov/interiormuseum/programs/Felix-Cohen
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The displacement of sovereign democratic nations in the founding of our own, and the subsequent treatment of Native Americans under federal policy, stands in stark contrast to American democratic ideals. So too has the treatment of African-Americans and the continued legacy of slavery and segregation presented a paradox for the celebration of American democracy. These brutal histories, and the contemporary realities faced by minority communities, are ongoing “problems” for a democratic political system that is founded upon the logic of equality and the promise of equal protection under law.
The design for the course was already ambitious, covering a
blend of historical and contemporary issues impacting Native and African Americans
as lens through which to view the effective functioning of the American
political system. I had no idea in designing the course that events would
conspire to make the spring semester one of the most dynamic times to be
teaching a democracy course. The 2016 election and developments of the early
Trump Administration provided twists that were both a challenge and an
opportunity. Whatever one’s politics, the first few months of the Trump
Administration have proven eventful in terms of the daily news cycle; and the
functioning of the executive branch has been anything but routine.
Even as we talked about the fundamental elements of what
constitutes a democracy, intelligence reports confirmed efforts at external election
interference; the investigations of the House and Senate investigatory
committees lurched on in fits and starts. Then came the firing of FBI director,
James Comey, and Trump’s tweets about the possible existence of tape recorded
conversations raised the specter of a brewing crises with shades of Watergate. Former
National Intelligence Director, James Clapper, asserted that American
institutions were under assault—internally as well as externally. With mounting
pressures, an independent counsel was named. The ongoing litigation over
Trump’s travel ban sparked more rhetoric challenging the independence and
legitimacy of judiciary. The President’s first international trip revealed a
United States out of accord with important democratic allies on climate and
trade. On his return, Trump announced he was pulling the United States out of
the Paris Treaty and there were renewed assertions of executive authority in
the aftermath of two international terrorist attacks. In short, the basic foundations
and function of our constitutional system of separated powers and checks and
balances were on full display.
The pace of developments germane to minority rights was no
less spectacular. A course which started with a historical overview of the loss
of Indian sovereignty and territory ended with the administration’s intention
to privatize ownership of federal lands. Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first Supreme Court appointee and the first justice in a long while to have substantial experience with Native American legal issues (from his time on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals), assumed his seat on the Court. Our classroom
discussion of the Standing Rock Protests coincided with news of another leak in
the newly opened Dakota Access Pipeline. Our discussion of the long history of
Civil Rights, concluded recent announcements by Attorney General, Jeff
Sessions, that the Department of Justice was rescinding federal investigations
of state, local, and tribal authority and proposed budget cuts in the civil
rights divisions in the departments of labor and education. And our discussion
of voting rights was topped off by the Supreme Court’s condemnation of the
North Carolina redistricting efforts for using partisanship as a proxy for race
with the surprising key vote of Justice Clarence Thomas.
All of this was set, of course, within the context of global
politics, the rise of national populist movements, and a re-examination of democratic
trends. As one of the students noted, “the
rise of nationalistic sentiments and populism in global politics,” makes
understanding “American democracy’s place
in the international arena even more important.” When and how do
democracies backslide? What are the
harbingers of democratic dysfunction?
Reflecting on the timing of the course and the importance of
American studies more generally, one of the students writes:
The United
States, being one of the hegemons of democracy is an important subject of
study. I think it is a very good time to study American Democracy, because of
what’s been happening in both Europe and in the United State over the last few
years. As more and more people are starting to doubt democratic systems, they
are turning towards nationalistic ideas. America exerts huge influence on the
rest of the world: politically, economically, culturally. Some would even say
that we may be witnessing a moment, when some democratic principles are being
questioned or dismantled. People assume that democracy will last forever;
however, it is not so simple.
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The American Studies Center Sign
Photo Credit: Lisa Parshall
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Unique
Perspectives on American Democracy
The students at the OSA-American Studies Center are among
the best and brightest, and it was a rare treat to teach a class to graduate
students who brought a unique perspective on these issues of American
Democracy. Impressively, my students were not just well-versed in basic
American history and politics, they were avid consumers of American news, which
greatly enhanced our discussions and allowed us to incorporate current events
in our consideration of democratic processes.
Each of the students in my class had chosen the elective because
of their interest in minority rights in the United States. Their broader
research interests, however, were much more varied and included
African-American political thought, gender and queer studies, immigration, and
international politics. For several students, the consideration of Native
Americans’ place in the American Political system was of special interest. “Even though I have been enrolled in an
American Studies program for four years now, I had never had a class on Native
Americans and my knowledge about them was very limited.” The absence of courses dedicated to Native
American tribal sovereignty and federal Indian policy is common in the
curriculum of American colleges and Universities as well.
The perspective of the course was designed to be a critical
one, providing students with “more
diverse and nuanced perspectives, instead of an idealized picture” of a “utopian American democracy.” For one
student, the class “confirmed my view
that American Democracy (just like any other democracy) isn’t perfect and there
are flaws, which are often overlooked in school or university curricula....
Thanks to the broadening of my knowledge concerning Native Americans and
African Americans position within the American legal system, I was able to more
fully understand both the causes and the consequences of contemporary
inequalities.”
As importantly, I learned a great deal from the students
regarding the state of liberal democracies in Europe and Poland, and of the impact
of globalization and economic decline on minority rights. Their own interests
sometimes took the course in unexpected, yet no less important directions as we
expanded our lens to consider the place of women and the LGBT community in politics.
Overall, the interaction of such differing
vantage points helps to “force both
students and faculty to step out of their bubble and confront different ideas
about America and American Democracy, and greatly contributes to academic
development.”
The Exchange
Program Between Daemen College and the ASC-UW
The exchange program was made possible through the efforts
of Professor Andrew Wise, the Director of Daemen College’s Polish Studies
program in collaboration with Dr. Sławomir Józefowicz, the International
Mobility Coordinator at the ASC and with the support of ASC director, Dr.
Grzegorz Kość.
In Fall 2017, Assistant Professor Dr. Karolina Krasuska
will travel to Daemen where she will team-teach a course with Professor Andrew
Wise: HST 206, Twentieth Century Europe.
For faculty and students in the classroom, the exchange is “an opportunity to learn about the different
culture of studying and teaching. Even though both Poland and the United States
are considered part of the so-called Western world, there are some, maybe even
considerable, differences in the approach to the subject of university studies.
This is a chance to see differences in the curricula; the observations may
serve as an inspiration as to what could be changed or differently implemented.”
As envisioned, students who take part in the exchange would
not necessarily be limited to taking coursework in the ASC (University of
Warsaw) or the Department of History and Political Science (Daemen College),
but may potentially take classes in other disciplines of their specific academic
interest. The respective departments might, in other words, serve as a home-base
for students seeking to take coursework at the partner institution, allowing
them to partake in the immersive experience which comes from studying abroad. “
Above all else, the exchange is a chance to
experience living and/or working in a foreign country: an experience that may
prove to be essential in one’s future career and life.”
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Łazienki
Park (Park Łazienkowski) is one of many beautiful greenspaces in Warsaw.
Photo Credit: Lisa
Parshall |
American students traveling to Poland will discover a safe
and comfortable experience. There is no shortage
of places to explore in Warsaw, including beautiful parks, cultural and
educational museums, cafes, and clubs.
The Metro system is convenient and easy to navigate. And cities like
Krakow and Gdansk are easily accessible by train. ASC students advise our English-speaking students
not to view language as a barrier: in Poland “
most young people can speak English at least on a communicative level,
so there’s nothing to worry about.” They
also add that “
some Americans might have
a stereotypical idea of Poland, since we are economically disadvantaged
compared to the rest of the European Union,” but note “
that we are not in poverty and our cities are comparable to big cities
in Europe.” The important thing is
to “
keep an open mind,” and “
to take the opportunity to try to learn something
about the Polish culture.”
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Scenes Along the Royal Way in Old Town
Photo Credit: Lisa Parshall
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Special thanks to the ASC-UW class for their contributions of thoughts
and observations to the blog (and whose quotes are indicated by italics).
Daemen College students who are interested in learning more
about the Polish Studies Program and/or the exchange opportunity with the
ASC-UW should contact Dr. Andrew Wise, Professor of History, at
awise@daemen.edu. Daemen College’s
Global
Programs Office can help any answer questions you may have about studying
abroad and can help provide logistical support.
References
The First and the
Forced: Essays on the Native American and African American Experience. Edited by James N. Leiker, Kim Warren, and
Barbara Watkins (2007).
The Federal Handbook
of Indian Law, Felix S. Cohen (1942).
The Erosion of Indian
Rights, Felix S. Cohen (1953).
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