Mock Convention To Give Students Civic Engagement Lesson

Sam Houston State University political science professor Mike Yawn is taking a more hands-on approach to teaching two of his classes this semester about civic engagement among both the general public and the student body.

On Dec. 6-8, three sections of his “Introduction to American government” and “Media in politics” classes will be holding a mock convention of both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. The event will be held from 3-7 p.m. each day in the Killinger Auditorium.

“ It’s just like the real party conventions that the Democrats and the Republicans hold every summer,” Yawn said, “but it’s different this time because it’s run by students and it’s after the election.”

Twenty-three students will serve as speakers, role-playing as such people as George W. Bush, John Kerry, John Edwards and Colin Powell. The first half of each day will have “Democrat” speakers, and the second half will have “Republican” speakers.

In addition, “real life” politicians, including Rep. Kevin Brady, Texas Rep. Dan Ellis, Huntsville City councilman Mickey Evans and State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, have confirmed that they will speak at the mock convention.

Those students who will not be speaking will serve at the convention in other facets.

“ Some of the students chose to be on the technology committee, so they are creating commercials and documentaries for the convention for each candidate; some of the students chose to be on the decoration committee, so they are decorating the hall; and some of the students are dealing with the issues, putting together party platforms for each of the parties,” Yawn said.

Yawn said his goal in providing students with options to take on those kinds of roles was to give students a broad and deep knowledge of real-live political events that pertain to a variety of disciplines.

“ Basically, if a student was majoring in interior design, I wanted to give them a hands-on project where they could decorate a convention hall,” he said; “if they are in public speaking, then I wanted to give them the opportunity to speak in front of their peers, faculty and administrators and community citizens.

“ If they were going into computers or some sort of information technology, then they could work on the technology committee and practice editing, creating clips, doing things in a manner that is consistent with advertising and marketing and political campaigning.”

The group has been working with various organizations throughout the city, including the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, and on Dec. 7, will work with the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veteran Museum to pay tribute to veterans and publicize the opening of the new veteran’s museum for Pearl Harbor day.

“ I want this to be a strong community event and to strengthen the ties between Sam Houston and the business community,” Yawn said. “I also want to give the chance for the students to actually put something on; it gives them hands-on political and business experience.”

The convention will count as 30 percent of the students’ grades, and they will be evaluated on different aspects of their roles within the convention.

For more information on the mock convention or the classes working on it, visit the “candidates’ Web sites” at www.shsu.edu/~bush/ and www.shsu.edu/~kerry/.

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SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
Nov. 29, 2004
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