Issue Advocacy: A Semester-Long Experiential Learning Project

Abstract

This article outlines a semester-long advocacy project that walks students through the steps to develop a successful advocacy campaign, culminating in a trip to the state capitol to “lobby” legislators. The manuscript provides faculty with the basic structure for the project and suggests gradable assignments. The project builds on the lessons learned from experiential learning theory and is anchored in five key pedagogical strategies: political discussion and deliberation, political research and action projects, invited speakers and program-affiliated mentors, external placements, and structured reflection. The goal of this course is to build students’ political knowledge and advocacy skills to be better informed citizens and effective participants within the political arena.

Keywords:

• Experiential learning
• political science
• advocacy
• higher education
• political learning

Notes

1 Not only are elected officials cognizant of who can vote for them, they also may be looking to run for higher office. As such, students whose families reside in the state may be seen as potential voters for future elective office campaigns.

2 “Teachers on the Rise” was the branding for a student lobbying team advocating for increased teacher pay in North Carolina.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brandon W. Lenoir

Dr. Brandon W. Lenoir is an assistant professor of political science and strategic communication. His research focuses on U.S. voter behavior. Utilizing field experiments implemented during actual political campaigns, Lenoir and his coauthors explore the effects of various campaign activities on mobilization, vote choice, and other campaign activities that rely on voters acceding to campaign requests.

In the classroom, professor Lenoir draws on his research and years working as a television anchor and political reporter in Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania and his time working in formal politics in Washington, DC, as a lobbyist and at the state level. His lectures tie together the latest strategic communication and political science theories with his on-the-ground political, campaign management, and television experience. Lenoir creates a dynamic learning environment for his students by providing real-world examples in his lectures.

Prior to joining the faculty at High Point University, Dr. Lenoir taught at Oklahoma State University, Dickinson College (Pennsylvania), and the University of Pittsburgh. His course offerings include Campaign Strategies, Media and Politics, Lobbying Strategies, Voting and Elections, Religion and Politics, and Research Methods.