Spring Break
Political science adjunct believes in learning policy through experience
Betsy Cohen
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: News
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Miller, the URI adjunct political science professor teaching this class, said he thoroughly enjoys this course and has brought a new teaching method into the classroom for this year's bunch. Prior to coming to URI this fall, he had taught for 22 years as an adjunct professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York.
Miller said that the best way to learn something is to experience it yourself.
"I try to get my students to actually participate and become active in the political process," he said.
For URI junior David Bedard, a Student Senate presidential candidate, the class was not what he had expected.
"Originally, I had signed up for it because I needed another class for my major," the political science major said. "The first couple days of class, professor Miller made it very clear to us that he wasn't going to stand there and lecture. He used jokes and was able to get the students excited about the class in the beginning of the semester. It's a pretty good class and it is much more interesting than I had expected it to be."
The skills-based course focuses on learning how to solve problems facing the community, state and the nation. Each student chooses an aspect of today's society within the United States that they would like to change for the better, research it in-depth, understand the causes of the issue and then present their findings and solutions to their classmates.
"They have to contact the person who can make a difference in their policy, or their player/client," Miller said.
Students often invite their client to come as guest speakers in Miller's class.
Last semester, students who focused on unemployment issues, wind energy and immigration issues in Rhode Island, had the opportunity to present their solutions to the governor.
"He does a great job with the material he is teaching, he tries to relate it to the students," Bedard said. "For example, he'll talk about issues like policies the URI administration makes here on campus."
