Institutionalizing Political and Civic Engagement on Campus

Abstract

In this quasi-experimental design, I examine the impact of a political engagement program on students, looking at traditional measures of internal efficacy, as well as other areas of political engagement including levels of political knowledge, the development of political skills, and interest in media coverage of politics.

Keywords:

• efficacy
• political and civic engagement centers
• political engagement
• political skills

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Harry Basehart, cofounder of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) at Salisbury University, for his useful comments on an earlier draft.

Notes

Past courses include the following Mapping Social Networks in Civic Organizations; Global Citizenship; Assessing the Viability of Community Policing; The Local Food Movement: Gardening, Farming and Food Sustainability; The City Elects a Mayor.

The five cohorts are comprised of 170 students (with an average cohort of 35 students) during the academic years Fall 2007 to Spring 2008, Fall 2008 to Spring 2009, Fall 2009 to Spring 2010, Fall 2010 to Spring 2011, and Fall 2011 to Spring 2012.

On average, political science majors made up about 12% of students in the program.