Face-to-face classes are ideally suited to balance structure and flexibility, particularly when it comes to incorporating real-world political events as teachable moments in a given course. 2020-2022 are arguably historic years. A few examples would be the pandemic, continued threats to democracy, the quest for racial justice, a volatile former president who continues to behave in an erratic way, and the urgency of global warming. 

I’ve been asked if there is something comparable for online teachers in terms of incorporating current events within the set structure of an online course designed by necessity before the semester begins. My answer is yes, it can be done, but not as easily. In Fall 2020 I redesigned every class to increase the focus on diversity, inclusion, and racism in the context of the issues noted above. In 2021-22 I revised PSCI-1001 and 1101 to address the rise of populism and threats to democracy. It was a lot of work, but the times demanded it. But even with those major revisions, there was still more to cover and place-breaking events in the larger context of the discipline and course themes. 

For the latter, I’ve taken advantage of Canvas’s announcements to feature more than general assignment feedback, changes in due dates, and other course housekeeping functions. I’m now also using announcements to put current events in a larger context, summarize and link new political science research, and sketch out topics that can later be incorporated into an existing lesson, or become a new lesson in later semesters. These works-in-progress are also easily edited and updated as new or additional information becomes available.  I’ll provide an example below. In a later post, I’ll share how I am using social media to bring in perspectives on current events, and new research, from political science and legal scholars. 

Below is an excerpted example from my Fall 2021 Media and Politics class since updated to a full course page in my Fall 2022 class. As traditional media continues to cede space to non-traditional forms, change can come at a dizzying pace.  

Substack and journalism’s present and future

Many of the issues facing journalists and consumers are reflected in writers who left traditional journalism outlets to start a-la-carte newsletters on Substack. One example is Matt Yglesias a founder and writer for VOX who now produces Slow Boring, a subscription newsletter of political analysis for Substack.

Issue 1: Economics for content creators

Yglesias and a handful of other star writers were given $250,000 and 15% of the subscription fees to serve as magnets to draw readers to Substack. The six figures sound like a lot, but Yglesias says he would have made $800,000 plus if he would have opted not for the guaranteed income but instead taken the standard deal of 90% of subscription revenue. By default, is his pay scale after the first year. For comparison, Yglesias' VOX co-founder Ezra Klein jumped to the New York Times opinion pages where writers make approximately $150,00 to $250,000. While Yglesias and other writers are enticed to Substack with big payouts, (and can sometimes afford staff) the majority of writers on the platform make nowhere near that amount of money. Someone with 1,000 steady subscribers paying $5.00 a month would earn $60,000 a year, and that, even with keeping 90% of subscription proceeds, is further reduced by 20% for taxes and fees. So, it is a sustainable model for very few writers. 

Issue 2: Economics for content consumers...