Using an Agenda Setting Model to Help Students Develop & Exercise Participatory Skills and Values

Abstract

The Agenda Setting Model is a program component that can be used in courses to contribute to students' development as responsible, effective, and informed citizens. This model involves students in finding a unified voice to assert an agenda of issues that they find especially pressing. This is often the only time students experience such a deliberative process in their studies. The process of developing the agenda begins in the classroom with students engaging in conversations regarding issues they consider most critical. Topics range from tuition increases to larger social issues, such as healthcare reform, unemployment, and the war in Iraq. Students learn compromise and empathy while they work to limit their agendas and to choose a finite number of issues to address. A coalition is formed among the students and one unified voice is achieved. From this, students then further research their agenda and begin lobbying to gain support for their issue. Every aspect of this process involves students in using a range of problem-solving skills and exploring core values of democracy, particularly values and skills related to participatory citizenship: each student's voice is heard, and all students are represented. Democratic leadership skills are also fostered throughout the exercise, especially as some students develop coalitions to push more effective political demands through consensus and collaboration.