Democratic decline in the United States and globally, a lack of confidence in political institutions and an increasingly violent and divisive political climate raise many questions for the state of political learning and civic engagement. A decade ago, a task force commissioned by the United States Department of Education called on colleges and universities to affirm their missions to educate for democracy. Relatively few have made the investment, though dozens of higher education associations and organizations have publicly committed their support to prepare students to address the persistent public issues they are inheriting. While there has been a recent upward spike in rote civic knowledge and historically high youth voting rates, the United States has seen a decline in political rights and civil liberties and has been listed as a backsliding democracy. Since 2010, state legislatures have passed laws making it harder to vote, with access to the ballot increasingly dependent on which party controls the state legislature. Meanwhile, substantial dysfunction and hyperpartisanship in Congress, concerns over the impartiality of the judiciary and limited accountability and oversight of the executive branch have contributed to the loss of institutional capacity to address public problems and to declining public confidence in political institutions. These trends coincide with problematic rhetoric and growing scrutiny from public officials on how colleges and universities educate students on public issues, particularly those centered on class, race, ethnicity and social justice. Issues of free speech and expression have been further nationalized following a high-profile hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that questioned the presidents of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania about antisemitism on their campuses and as campus protests regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been met with heavy-handed responses. These episodes serve as loud warning shots to colleges and universities across the country. Academic freedom and freedom of speech - core tenets of a liberal education - are at risk. Can higher education step up and meet the moment? Collectively, contributors to this volume - who come from a broad range of institutions, experiences and perspectives - provide critical research and analyses, as well as innovative approaches for how higher education can fulfill its public role and contribute to building the democratic societies we need.

Leaning into the Future seeks to explore what it may mean to believe in the Kingship of God and wait for his Kingdom by considering the fundamental role the Kingdom of God plays in the theology of Jurgen Moltmann and in the book of Revelation. Part one is devoted to how Moltmann understands The Kingdom of God as the fundamental symbol of hope for humanity, and how he sees the presence of God's reign and kingdom in history as hidden and paradoxical. Part two turns to the way the Book of Revelation uses royal and other political language in its portrait of the future and God's presence in history. In this second part, the book also seeks to explore how Moltmann and the Apocalypse may mutually inform each other, how Moltmann may help us read this biblical book today, and how it in turn may overcome some of the weaknesses in Moltmann's proposal.

This book examines how political communication and the mass media have played a central role in the consolidation of emerging democracies around the world. Covering a broad range of political and cultural contexts, including Eastern and Southern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, this new volume investigates the problems and conflicts arising in the process of establishing an independent media and competitive politics in post-autocratic societies. Considering the changing dynamic in the relationship between political actors, the media and their audience, the authors of this volume address the following issues: changing journalistic role perceptions and journalistic quality the reasons and consequences of persisting instrumentalization of the media by political actors the role of the media in election campaigns the way in which the citizens interpret political messages and the extent to which the media influence political attitudes and electoral behaviour the role of the Internet in building a democratic public sphere This book will be of great interest to all those studying and researching democracy and democratization, comparative politics, political communication, journalism, media and the Internet.

This collection examines topical issues related to the impact of courts on constitutional politics during extreme conditions. The book explores the impact of activist courts on democracy, separation of powers and rule of law in times of emergency constitutionalism. It starts with a theoretical explanation of the concept, features and main manifestations of judicial activism and its impact in shaping the relationship between constitutional, international and supranational law. It then focuses on judicial activism in extreme conditions, for example, in times of emergencies and pandemics, or in the context of democratic backsliding, authoritarian constitutionalism and illiberal constitutionalism. Thus, the book may be considered as a contribution to the debates on judicial activism, including the discussion of the impact of courts on certainty, proportionality and balancing of rights, as well as on revolutionary courts challenging authoritarian context and generally over the role of courts in the context of illiberalism and democratic backsliding. The volume thus offers an explanation of the concept of judicial activism, its impact on both the legal system and the political order and the role of courts in shaping the structures of the legal order. These issues are explored in theoretical and comparative constitutional perspectives. The book will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers working in the areas of courts, constitutional law and constitutional politics.

What do you do when you feel stuck and your life takes a detour from your grand plan? Claire Swinarski, founder of The Catholic Feminist podcast, says that even if your life is not where you wanted it to be or you are in a time of transition or discomfort, God has planted you right where you are for a reason. In Full Bloom inspires you to see God’s grace at work and discover for yourself the grit and practical strategies to thrive no matter what life has thrown your way. When your dreams don’t match reality, you have several choices: You can wait for your situation to change. You can leap blindly from change to change until something sticks. Or you can do as Claire Swinarski suggests—thrive. In Full Bloom explores strategies for thriving and experiencing God’s grace even when you’re not exactly living the dream. Searching for a career post-college? Longing for excitement while feeling trapped someplace miserable? Single and dreaming of a family? Enjoying a fantastic job in a great city but grappling with feelings of loneliness? No matter where you are, Swinarski offers a game plan for pinpointing what’s not working in your life, making strategic changes, and developing habits that will sustain you no matter what challenges the future holds. Swinarski blends vulnerability, hard-hitting wake-up calls, and practical wisdom as she shares her own struggles, inspires with stories from TheCatholic Feminist podcast community, and offers “soul-care” exercises to help you discover the faith and grit to grow into the life you’ve always hoped for.

This volume presents a detailed and in-depth examination of women of color political elites in the United States in varying levels of office and non-elected positions. Through innovative data, novel theoretical frameworks, and compelling arguments, the chapters in this book explore how women of color political elites are changing, challenging, or upending the status quo in American politics. Beyond an additive approach of either race or gender the authors in this volume employ an intersectional lens to explore the complexities of governing, running for office, and adjudicating in a diversifying America. This book will be of great value to upper-level students, researchers, and academics of political science interested in women’s and gender studies, political leadership as well as race and ethnic studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy.

Questioning society and one’s place in it is a common theme in both comedy and sociology. Understanding and subverting hierarchies and norms, exploring deviance and taboos, and relating lived experience to broader questions all hold a crucial place for them both. Introduction to Sociology Through Comedy teaches foundational sociological concepts using comedy, first considering the history of sociology before employing examples from comedians – including standalone comedy bits, sketches, characters, and scenes – to illustrate a specific theory, concept, or social phenomenon. The profession of comedy is then used as a case study for the application of sociological concepts, such as impression management, social stratification, racial segregation, deviance, and stigma, allowing readers to gain familiarity with the concepts while simultaneously practicing their application. This book explains why we laugh by applying theories of humor, which will bolster students’ understanding of sociological principles by forcing them to question their own assumptions – helping them to put why they laugh into sociological terms.

Providing practical, concrete teaching strategies alongside relevant methodology and scholarship, this book offers a pedagogical approach for centering students' democratic citizenship and political engagement in American government courses.

From Charlamagne Tha God, host of the morning radio phenomenon The Breakfast Club, and founder and CEO of iHeartRadio’s Black Effect Podcast Network, a rundown on how small talk from small minds has taken over our world, and the BIG conversations needed to climb our way back. For fourteen years, Charlamagne Tha God has been cohost of iHeartRadio’s nationally syndicated morning radio show The Breakfast Club and has proven his power as a culture mover and thought leader, by being his completely authentic self on-air, from his famous “You ain't black” moment with President Biden, to heartfelt chats with cultural icons like Sean “Jay-Z” Carter and Judy Blume, to viral classics with Kamala Harris and Soulja Boy, his incredible reach and impact on the pulse of America continues to grow. In his new book, Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks, Charlamagne takes full command of his new perch, broadening his scope and embracing his life roles as a cultural curator, social commentator, job-creator, mental health advocate, and Girl Dad in ways we’ve never seen before. In his signature irreverent style, he looks at the world through his own lens, concluding that our divisions, our unhappiness, and our dissatisfactions stem from our failure to have meaningful conversations with each other. With lessons pulled from his past, and an eye on the future, Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks makes us laugh, cry, and think as Charlamagne’s shares his thoughts on growth, empowerment, and evolution in our fast-changing world. In short—it’s time to stop lying to each other, and ourselves. Fame, money, social media, politics, hip-hop culture, and fatherhood, he takes it all on here. In the process, Charlamagne reveals more about himself than we’ve ever seen before. This master of seeing through the BS even calls it on himself, as he delivers his most insightful and heartfelt work yet—his call to stop the insanity while we still can.