Civic Engagement Resources by Topic

Here's a list of popular resources Ginsberg offers about civic and democratic engagement with a focus on Election 2024, organized by topic. If the resource you're looking for doesn't appear in this list, check out Getting Started: How Much Time Do You Have? or email [email protected].

 

[Last revised September 2024]

  • Make a Canvas announcement to encourage voting. Choose a sample announcements from Ginsberg Center's pre-designed slide deck of voting announcements for classrooms, based on UMICH Votes' system of messaging. 
  • Share govote.umich.edu link in your syllabus - it covers voter registration assistance and FAQs, regardless of where students hail from
  • Share vote411.org or BallotReady links in your syllabus - they give a nonpartisan overview of all upcoming elections and what's on the ballot all across the country, customized by address
  • Include a voting-specific syllabus statement, such as:
    • "The University of Michigan encourages eligible students to exercise their right to vote, and students of all citizenship backgrounds to actively engage in issues of public concern. When more people participate, a broader array of perspectives is represented in policies and laws that impact our country, society, and the world. Information about voter registration, polling locations and additional resources are available at govote.umich.edu."
  • Make a social media post using UMICH Votes' System of Voting Messaging to share information with students about campus polling locations, voter registration information and key election dates. 
Course planning
 
Facilitation & Discussion
  • Show students how to use their address to search vote411.org or BallotReady - they give a nonpartisan overview of all upcoming elections and what's on the ballot all across the country, customized by address
  • Have students complete their own voting plan, using these Victors Voting Plan templates: one-sided, double-sided, fillable pdf
  • Civic Learning Activities - a collection of classroom activities from Ginsberg Center, focused on a variety of civic learning topics including decision-making, knowledge production, media literacy, and citizenship
  • Dialogue Deck: A Conversation for Political Reflection - a sample activity from the 2020 election by Ginsberg Center and UMMA that uses art to spark reflection about democracy
  • Bring students to the "Hey, We Need to Talk!" exhibit in the Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Gallery at UMMA, which has works of art paired with interactive questions around civic responsibility and national identity that visitors can discuss. 
  • Discuss the connections between your field and civic and democratic engagement
    • How is academic knowledge produced in your field or discipline? Who is included in this knowledge production and who is left out? 
    • What examples can you share of how broader economic, political, health, educational and social systems impact your discipline or field?
    • What forms of data and analysis are considered legitimate in your field and why?
    • How has your field changed over time? What examples can you offer of current debates or competing schools of thought?
    • How is your discipline or field affected by local, state or federal legislative policies or judicial decisions? 
    • How has your discipline or field informed local, state or federal legislative policies or judicial decisions? 
    • How might my discipline be impacted by policy decisions as a result of the election?
    • How can you help students identify ways to contribute to these processes? 
  • Discuss how your course content connects to policy issues and elections
    • How are the topics covered in my course impacted by the policy and/or funding issues raised by this election?
    • Which topics within my course might require special attention in light of the election?
    • How might the candidate platforms be a resource for teaching and learning these topics?
    • What are the diverse perspectives and voices that characterize my field related to these topics, and how do I maintain some balance in presenting them?
    • What kinds of knowledge/research from my field shapes the issues raised by this election

Promoting Democracy Teaching Series 

Co-sponsored by Ginsberg Center & CRLT, this workshop series for faculty and staff addresses critical topics to help instructors prepare to teach during the election. Open to instructors, graduate students, post-docs and staff/admin with instructional roles. 

These are opportunities for outside funding, unaffiliated with Ginsberg

A Black woman with braids and a Black man with a beard and glasses work together on the computer