In a polit颅ical arena dogged by sound bites and cat颅fights, a con颅ver颅sa颅tion rooted in depth and detail can make all the difference.
That's the idea behind U.S. Polit颅ical Con颅ven颅tions and Cam颅paigns, a free, non颅par颅tisan web颅site devel颅oped by North颅eastern fac颅ulty and launched ear颅lier this week. The web颅site, which will be updated throughout the cam颅paign season, serves as an online resource for both edu颅ca颅tors and indi颅vid颅uals seeking more information.
"We want there to be some颅thing for everyone," said site cre颅ator Daniel Urman, director of the Law and Policy doc颅torate pro颅gram in the Col颅lege of Pro颅fes颅sional Studies. "It's for the high-鈥嬧�媠chool stu颅dent get颅ting ready to vote for the first time, someone fol颅lowing the cam颅paigns on TV who wants to learn more and the sea颅soned polit颅ical professional."
The site serves as a pow颅erful edu颅ca颅tional resource, pro颅viding col颅lege fac颅ulty and high-鈥嬧�媠chool teachers with tools and quizzes designed to align with national edu颅ca颅tional stan颅dards in areas including civics, Amer颅ican his颅tory and government.
The site's con颅tent includes in-鈥嬧�媎epth video inter颅views with more than 20 polit颅ical insiders from across the polit颅ical spec颅trum, including former Mass颅a颅chu颅setts state Senate minority leader Richard Tisei, a 1980 Reagan youth del颅e颅gate and cur颅rent Repub颅lican can颅di颅date for Con颅gress in Mass颅a颅chu颅setts; Thalia Schlesinger, a 2008 Obama del颅e颅gate; Richard Counts, a 2012 Romney del颅e颅gate; and former Mass颅a颅chu颅setts gov颅ernor Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Demo颅c颅ratic nom颅inee for pres颅i颅dent and a Dis颅tin颅guished Pro颅fessor of Polit颅ical Sci颅ence at Northeastern.
"One of the rea颅sons I teach these days is because I want to encourage young people to go into public ser颅vice," Dukakis said in one of the site's videos, "Why Pol颅i颅tics Mat颅ters." "There is nothing more impor颅tant or more per颅son颅ally ful颅filling and sat颅is颅fying than being in a posi颅tion where you can make a dif颅fer颅ence in the lives of your fellow cit颅i颅zens. That's really what pol颅i颅tics and public ser颅vice are all about."
Mul颅ti颅media ele颅ments include infor颅ma颅tion on topics such as Amer颅ican polit颅ical his颅tory, cam颅paign finance, public policy, party plat颅forms and the evolving role of media and tech颅nology in gov颅ern颅ment and campaigns.
"We are non颅par颅tisan and we're offering depth, which sets us apart," Urman said. "We're pro颅viding details that are impor颅tant to people's lives. Gov颅ern颅ment touches every aspect of someone's life, whether they like it or not, so it is impor颅tant to have an informed citizenry."
The polit颅ical insiders who gave inter颅views for the web颅site, Urman noted, were enthu颅si颅astic to par颅tic颅i颅pate in a project that approached gov颅ern颅ment and pol颅i颅tics as serious topics mer颅iting close examination.
"They enjoyed the ability to speak for more than five sec颅onds at a time," Urman said. "Many of our inter颅views were sched颅uled for 20 min颅utes but went well over an hour. Of course, that frus颅trated our edi颅tors, but it showed how these experts appre颅ci颅ated the oppor颅tu颅nity to dis颅cuss these impor颅tant topics in greater depth."
