Host Alan Lambert welcomes Dr. Nancy Thomas, director of the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University. In this podcast, we discuss the dynamics of civic learning, students' participation in the democratic process, and issues of free speech on university campuses.

The founders of the US argued the necessity of a robust system of public education to support democracy. One of US higher education’s missions was to foster an educated populace who could engage in debate and dialogue. Over the past century, the role of higher education in the US democratic has shifted, and, recently, has become highly politicized. This episode will discuss the current and potential role of higher education in this civic moment.

Dr. Nancy Thomas directs the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (a/k/a IDHE) at Tufts University. Launched nearly ten years ago, IDHE is what’s called an applied research center, meaning their research informs learning and practice. IDHE has five areas of research: college student voting, campus climates for political learning and participation (in other words, “what’s in the water at that place?”), political discussion, classroom teaching methods around matters of public concern, and higher education’s role in a democracy in question. In case you haven’t made this connection, Dr. Thomas designed and launched NSLVE (“n-solve”), the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. NSLVE reports tell us how many of Wash U students voted, with breakdowns by demographics like age and gender, and field of study. She also has a long history of studying discussion, free speech, and inclusion on campuses. Her passion, besides skiing and kayaking and her kids, is around higher education’s role in reinventing democracy to be more inclusive, equitable, and just. She holds a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and, as a loyal mid-westerner, a law degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Episode 2: What Happened to a United States?

American Democracy LabBy Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community EngagementOct 05, 2021