A Conversation with Dr. Jane Junn, 2011 Pi Sigma Alpha Keynote Speaker

By Gabriel Garcia, member of Alpha Zeta Zeta Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha at the University of Texas – Pan American

In February of 2011, the American Political Science Association held its 8th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This year’s topic was “Making Sense of Politics and Political Science.” The keynote address for the conference, entitled “Helping Students Make Sense of a Changing Political World,” was presented by Dr. Jane Junn, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California. Junn, who taught at Rutgers University for sixteen years before moving on to the west coast, was kind enough to speak with me about her keynote address, the impact President Obama has had on her own children, and the critical role educators play in enhancing the curiosity of future generations.

I felt that one of the principal messages Dr. Junn was trying to communicate is that because Political Science is such a dynamic field, educators must think of a variety of creative ways to reach their students. During my conversation with her, Junn agreed. She said as things change, we need to help people enhance their curiosity on the subject. We need to look at things comparatively, across political regimes, and comprehensively, over time. She went on to explain that part of what we do as political scientists is figure out how to connect with people. We use our analytical skills to analyze the facts and connect events. What we have also learned over time is that our basic skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and our pursuit of answers by persisting to ask questions, continue to be our best tools. Dr. Junn discussed that fact that in her classes she emphasizes that students need to question basic assumptions –theory, methods– and to critique the already existing beliefs. She said that one of the most important things we can do as educators is to give students the power to shake things up, to question our society’s basic assumptions.

In reading Dr. Junn’s address, another point that stood out to me was the example she gave about her two young daughters, and how in their eyes the American president is not a “mature, white man,” instead their image of the presidency is President Obama. In my conversation with Dr. Junn I had the opportunity to ask her, “in your professional opinion, do you believe President Obama’s term(s) in office will have a lasting effect on adolescents, or will it be more of a flash in the pan? In your view, do you believe the election of President Obama will encourage minority youth to aspire for some of these higher position jobs in our government which typically have been reserved for “mature, white males” only?” Her response was intriguing. She said “I want to perform an exercise with you that one of my colleagues, Melissa Harris Lacewell of Tulane University, showed me. Close your eyes and I want you to picture an apple. What does that apple look like? Is it a red apple, or a green one? Or is it a computer? Chances are that when you ask an older audience that question, they are always going to think of the fruit. However, when you pose that same question to a younger audience, there is a higher probability that more of them will think of the Apple computers. This is one of the lasting effects President Obama’s presidency is having. It is changing the perception of what the president of the United States should look like. As far as my two daughters are concerned the President of the U.S. is an African American male, a white, mature, person may be capable of becoming president, but if you were to ask them, “What does the United States President look like?” they would describe Barak Obama. Granted, Barak Obama is still not the default character for most Americans, and there are still many structural barriers for minorities. However, I am optimistic his presidency will have a lasting effect on today’s youth.”

During her address Dr. Junn also spoke about the generational gap educators are often faced with between themselves and their students. For example, events such as the Tet Offensive, Watergate, or the McCarthy Trials don’t necessarily resonate with students; they are simply historical events and they don’t carry any emotional association with most students today. I asked her if she thought this is the biggest challenge educators face, the generation gap, or is there a more pressing issue? She responded that this is not the most significant challenge because American Political Scientists have to keep up with current events but she pointed out that the generation gap can cause stumbling blocks. Junn said that the solution to this is for faculty to become or continue to be lifelong learners and to learn by listening to students. She said, “I have learned something from every class I have taught.”

As my conversation with Dr. Junn ended, I asked her if, looking back on it, there anything about her speech she would change or add to it?  Her response was that she wished it would have been more focused. She ended by saying, “Ultimately, what can I possibly say to a room full of the best and brightest minds in our profession?”