Politics course studies elections in real time

By Janet Garcia ’16

Fall is a time of change and colorful drama: both in nature and in politics. In his politics course Campaigns & Elections, Professor Hans Hassell gives students a chance to become completely immersed in the democratic process at the peak of election cycle—the very reason this course is always offered during Block 2.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to take theoretical concepts and actually apply them,” he said. “There are theories on why people choose who they vote for: does that actually apply to this particular campaign? There are theories about how incumbents and challengers and longshot challengers should behave: does this actually fit with what we’re seeing in this particular election?”

Students are assigned to follow a specific campaign and present their findings at the conclusion of the course, including a prediction for the race’s outcome. Senior Thomas Cooke was assigned the U.S. Senate race in Colorado between Mark Udall and Cory Gardner. Reflecting on the project he said, “in most elections there will be one or two issues that define the race, and in this one it seems to be women’s issues.”

What sets this course apart, according to Hassell, is that “students get to see these applications in real life. If you’re taking an international relations course you get an idea of what’s going on, but you’re never going to see the entire thing play out in real life… this allows you to see the entire aspect of what you’re studying play out at the same time you’re taking the course.”