Stacy Davis-Stanford

SOCIAL SCIENCES:

POLS 2300 Intro to Political Ideologies

This course is the first one I have taken from the Political Science department since deciding to change to a double major of Social Work and Political Science. I have struggled throughout my college career to figure out how to relate my standardized education to my specific career goal of working in social welfare policy and advocacy. Throughout this semester I have finally been able see that connection which had been previously been lacking. The signature assignment attached below is a persuasive essay on income inequality, based on the book “The Great Divergence”, by Timothy Noah. The experience of reading Noah’s research, reading Professor Hubert’s text, participating in class discussions and finally writing (and exchanging with an editing partner) the final essay, helped connect my political education with all of the courses I have already taken in Social Work.

Last year I took Social Welfare Policy, which was one of the most inspiring courses I’ve ever taken. We studied the history of social welfare, from Elizabeth Addams and the Hull House, to Roosevelt’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society reforms. We examined the process of policy creation, and the behind-the-scenes struggles in the creation, passing, and implementation of such legislation. This Political Ideologies class helped provide a real framework which I could use to look back and understand the political conflicts in policy creation. This new perspective helped me to understand the views of my opponents in my current fight on Utah’s Capitol Hill in favor of the Medicaid Expansion. I went from a position of “conservatives are heartless and selfish” to a better understanding of the underlying market conservatism ideologies which leads to what I had perceived as a lack of compassion.

This semester I took Ethics in the Social Work Profession, where I also found many connections with political ideologies.  We spent a lot of time in that Ethics course discussing respecting differences, and identifying our own preconceived biases. I realized that my own bias exists not against gender, race, or sexuality, but more so against those with opposing political beliefs. I do not hold any hatred for conservatives, by any means, nor would I deny fundamental rights or privileges based on one’s political ideology. However, I do feel an internal reaction and judgment inside myself. The combination of the ethics and the political ideologies classes opened my mind and helped me address these internal responses. The Ideologies class, in particular, helped me to learn to communicate with those who may “oppose” me in a civil and respectful manner. It also taught me to be a better listener.

Now that I am taking more specialized classes, and working more toward a specific focus in my career, I find these real-world applications incredibly valuable.

This class, and this persuasive essay, addressed many of my personal goals, as well as many of the learning outcomes provided by SLCC. However, if I had to choose the two that were the most relevant, I would say “Students develop the knowledge and skills to be civically engaged”, and “students develop the knowledge and skills to work with others in a professional and constructive manner”.