Interested in hearing voices from those studying these topics, Rocky Mountain PBS hosted a virtual discussion with two professors and four students in the Metropolitan State University of Denver Political Science Department.

For one hour, the group discussed current events—from the inauguration to social media debates and the impact of "deplatforming" voices.

Encouraging engagement from future civic leaders

Rob Preuhs, Ph.D. is a professor and Chair of the Political Science Department for MSU. He recognizes that the level of current polarization has been brewing for a couple of decades.

“Discussions can get heated,” he said. Keeping them constructive and civil takes leadership.

“From the faculty perspective one of the things we need to try to do is balance both our underlying goal of encouraging interest, enthusiasm about civic life and participating in that civic life, but also with the empirical notion of what the processes are that lead to these outcomes,” he said.

For professor Sheila Rucki, Ph.D., finding a way to make topics less volatile gives way to more meaningful dialogue. Often, that means giving historical perspective and taking students out of a current event that can be emotionally charged.

“My approach is to try to bring it out of the moment and work through a historical case," she explained. For example, another impeachment case.

“How does the way Nixon left office and the way Congress responded to Nixon's crimes compare to how President Trump has left the office?” she recently asked her students.

Ana Rodriguez, a senior, has been in class conversations like this and feels the environment encourages students to explore diverse views.

“All of my professors have really done a really good job of kind of navigating a minefield,” she said. “It's a great time to be a political science major.”

Social media as a go-to source? Proceed with caution.

During the hour-long Zoom conversation, the group discussed the value of consuming information from various platforms, while recognizing that some are designed to spark more debate. Especially social media.

“The real problem is the underlying algorithms that push stuff into people’s feeds and that has a radicalization impact on folks,” said Rucki, while adding that eliminating some conversations may not be the best approach.

“I don't think that deplatforming particular voices is the answer,” she continued, while also suggesting the answer to more respectful interaction has to come from within the social media companies themselves.

Moving the dialogue forward: advice from the next generation

Kieran Boes is planning to graduate this spring. He also plans to “get curious” with people with whom he’s disagreed with politically as a way to address topics head on.

“I would want to have these conversations in person not on Twitter. Not on social media. Nothing anonymized because then all civility just goes out the window and it's impossible to convey tone anyway through written words,” he said.

Mikey Benitiz is a junior studying Political Science and Theatre. He also works with the Department of Chicana/o Studies on campus. Benitiz said he is up for finding ways to move conversations forward.

“Approaching it not from a ‘wrong-or-right perspective’ but more from ‘let's just try to help each other—understand each other,’” he explained.

Soleil Hanberry-Lizzi is a senior majoring in History and minoring in Political Science. She is hoping people can find ways to recognize our similarities, especially during this pandemic.

“I feel like there's a lot of work anxiety. There's a lot of economic anxiety,” she said, adding that alleviating fears will start when we remember we are all interconnected. “It’s not just looking towards the presidency or looking towards the federal government, its realizing that we are not just people who are relying on one entity but a community trying to build a society that is better for ourselves and more just.”

While this conversation just scratched the surface of so many topics, the underlying tone was one of a willingness to engage and start talking with others. But hard work lies ahead. So do more difficult days.

“I'd love it if we could figure out a way both through the media, academia, and the kitchen table to talk about politics. Not about identity but about policies,” said Rucki.

It starts with trust: in one another, in our community, in our country.