This is Democracy: A broad look at the year ahead on campus
With the most tumultuous season of campus protests in generations behind us, what does the new school year portend for students, professors, and administrators at America’s universities? Jeremi and Zachary look forward optimistically in this week’s podcast, as Jeremi predicts it will be a “breakthrough year.”
“I think this is going to be a year which is certain to have its controversies,” says Jeremi in this father-and-son reflection on their respective campuses, “but I think we’re at a moment now, and this happens at different moments in the history of democracy, when a new generation is going to break through.”
This conversation follows contrasting essays that both wrote in June. Three months ago, Jeremi reflected on the overreach of administrators in the face of protests at the University of Texas at Austin. Zachary, in contrast, described the fear and the intimidation of Jewish students created by protests at Yale University.
This conversation moves on to discuss a broad sweep of issues on today’s campuses, from student debt, to the ambiguous word “woke,” to the role of universities in shaping democracy.
The duo discuss, from their student and professor perspectives, the irony that elite schools have the resources to offer robust aid and assistance, effectively shifting the burden of debt to more disadvantaged students whose institutions lack substantial endowments.
Together, they suggest that while university students and teachers may “lean left,” the mission is not ideological. Both advocated a renewed commitment to critical thinking and deep dialogue.
“We should be encouraging dialogue around discussions and difficult issues, and we should be bringing different perspectives together for respectful conversation and disagreement,” argued Zachary.
They also discuss the polarization on campuses, and the likelihood that protests in the coming year will see less participation but possibly more radical voices. They discuss the transformative power of education, and the importance of it leading to discovery of passion.
And so much more. Take a listen to this school year opener, or read the transcript.
This is Democracy – Episode 276: New School Year