UI Director of Political Science: How educators can best discuss the Capitol uprising with students – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana weather

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Today marks one year since a mob stormed the United States Capitol in the deadly insurgency on January 6, 2021.

Indiana University director of political science Steven Webster told News 8 that the event is part of US history whether we like it or not – and it should be reinforced with students.

The director said it was almost difficult not to discuss the riot on Capitol Hill during a political debate, adding that talking about it could resolve anger and divisions among political parties.

“The quality of our democracy has diminished. We see more and more that Americans are less committed to certain key democratic norms and values. We see those we disagree with as political opponents rather than people who just have different beliefs than us, ”Webster said.

Webster said he brought the event to students during a convention class last semester, and that the conversation will be discussed again in a class on elections and voting this semester.

He believes that students should know what happened as long as it is taught rationally, logically and impartially, despite the fact that the subject may be uncomfortable to teach given the political beliefs of each student.

“It would be hard to imagine a world where future history textbooks didn’t talk about January 6 of last year,” Webster said. “I think that’s both a symptom of the direction of politics and in some ways it’s kind of a glimpse into the future of our political system.”

Webster encourages students who may be feeling angry about the events leading up to January 6 to get involved in the political process, such as registering to vote.