Nonpartisan duo teaches special UVA course for election year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The upcoming quadrennial presidential election also marks a time-limited UVA course.

The Politics Department course currently has 500 students and is only available in election years.

Students learn about the 2024 election and the history of politics.

The course is taught by two professors – on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

“She is a former Democratic congressional candidate,” said UVA professor Mary-Kate Cary. “I am a former Republican presidential campaign staffer. So let’s own it.”

Cary was a speechwriter for George HW Bush. Jennifer Lawless ran for Congress in Rhode Island 18 years ago as a Democrat. In 2020, they decided to join forces.

“You will hear all different perspectives and be able to compare them to your own thoughts and help you learn more about what you yourself believe in politics,” Cary said.

It is not a debate course.

Instead, it’s about sharing both parties’ views equally on politics, election predictions, current events and more as they relate to the 2024 election.

“We have non-partisan panels of experts that match the lectures. So when it comes to polls, we’re dealing with a Republican pollster and a Democratic pollster,” Cary said.

It’s about opening up a different world of politics by getting to know both sides.

Cary says the first step to this course is finding common ground.

“We always start with the facts we agree on,” Cary said. “It doesn’t have to be about winning and losing and changing someone’s mind.”

As times change, UVA tries to keep up.

UVA spokeswoman Bethanie Glover says the university is always looking for growth opportunities and this class is the push it needs.

“Our faculty are experts in what they do,” Glover said, “and they are constantly monitoring the world around them for opportunities to teach students.”

Cary says this course is completely confidential, so students can feel safe to share their opinions.

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