Illinois State's Definition of Political Engagament

Illinois State University defines political engagement as community engagement with a systemic dimension of public policy, as well as electoral politics at local, state, and national levels.

The Political Engagement Project

Illinois State was selected as one of eight institutions to participate in a national American Democracy Project initiative, the Political Engagement Project (PEP). PEP was established to address the serious problem of political disengagement in young people and advocates a dramatic increase in college and university efforts to strengthen student interest in politics. (Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching).

The New York Times and the Carnegie Foundation also sponsor the initiative and offer resources to help instructors develop lesson plans, share ideas, and create opportunities for students and faculty to publish their experiences on the New York Times website.

The primary goal of the Political Engagement Project at Illinois State University is to enhance students' awareness and understanding of political engagement and impact their level of political involvement and leadership.

Earlier FOCUS Module's Definition of Political Engagement

In the earlier FOCUS Modules, civic and community engagement was defined as working to make a difference in the public life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation needed to make that difference. Civic and community engagement is also promoting the quality of life in a community through both political and non-political processes.
Political engagement activities are components of civic and community engagement activities, though not all civic and community engagement activities are necessarily related to political engagement.

 

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