The annual Kreider Prize Lecture took place virtually Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7pm. Elizabethtown College professor of political science Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan was the recipient of the 2019-2020 Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence. He presented his lecture “Analytical Advocacy in the Age of Trump,” which examined the current political climate and how he gives his students the analytical skills to protect and strengthen our country’s democracy.
The Kreider Prize was named in honor of professor of history emeritus Dr. J. Kenneth Kreider and professor of business emerita Dr. Carroll L. Kreider for their service and mentorship of students at the College. Etown alumnus Dr. Thomas Connor of the class of 1972 makes the award possible through his generous donations. Students, faculty and staff members and alumni nominate current faculty members for the prize, and the Professional Development Committee and two students choose the recipient. The prize recognizes excellence in teaching and mentoring with an emphasis on engagement and connection with the students. McClellan is the sixth recipient of the prize.
“I can think of no one more deserving of this award,” professor of political science and department chair of politics, philosophy and legal studies Dr. April Kelly-Woessner said. Kelly-Woessner introduced her colleague McClellan before his presentation.
McClellan began his lecture by thanking all everyone who nominated him for the prize, especially his students and colleagues. He wanted to discuss how his teaching style evolved over the 38 years he has been teaching, specifically after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.
After Trump’s election, McClellan described transforming from a neutral expert in politics to a political activist in the classroom. It became more difficult for him to pretend he did not have opinions regarding the country’s political climate.
“I have opinions and I shared them publicly,” he said.
Trump’s election was a “wake-up call” for the state of our democracy, according to McClellan. He explained that many of the issues present in Trump’s presidency already existed, but they were emphasized throughout the past four years. McClellan claimed that Trump “politicizes everything” while removing government professionals from his administration. He also has concerns about how Trump was elected due his relationship with Russia but conceded that he won fairly through the electoral college.
McClellan also expressed concerns regarding our democracy when Trump threatened to refuse to recognize the presidential election results if he loses. He also refused to outright denounce white supremacy during the first presidential debate.
“Truth is what [Trump] says it is, and his truth is not reality,” McClellan said.
McClellan connected this discussion about Trump’s presidency back to his teaching methods. He frequently shows films in his classes to improve his students’ analytical skills. Viewing and analyzing films “stimulates the imagination” he says, and these skills can be applied to real-life situations. He also uses film to discuss how the media reflects our reality and the potential biases it may have.
McClellan argued that Trump is not outright antidemocratic, but he has a different definition of democracy. Trump’s definition of a citizen is much more “restrictive” and “nativist”.
“He is fine with democracy as long as it’s restricted to who he considers good people. He likes democracy when he’s running it,” McClellan said.
Towards the end of his lecture, McClellan discussed how his teaching methods changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He, and many other professors, had to reform how they present material to make it more engaging, clear and impactful to students.
In an age of misinformation and “fake news,” our democracy itself is at stake, which is why developing analytical skills and considering all viewpoints is more important than ever. McClellan urges everyone to vote in this presidential election in order to show confidence in our democracy.
