Did you take civics in middle school? If you weren’t required to take government in high school and have not sought out a similar class in college, you might be relying on your sixth grade education to form your understanding of the political process. 

Students learn the basic structures of government, such as the separation of powers, but required education doesn’t go far beyond that. Many students who don’t focus their studies in government and social science don’t gain an understanding of what their representatives are supposed to do and how they can get involved to elect representatives who support their interests. 

News literacy skills and learning to responsibly consume political messages also get lost in the void between primary education and post-grad life, leaving some students susceptible to misinformation that has become prevalent on social media. 

The University of Minnesota should implement a required course for all students that teaches basic civic engagement and news literacy skills, empowering them to be responsible, active citizens. 

Higher education must equip students with these fundamental skills and resources, including how to navigate voting, analyze political messages and identify misinformation and bias in the media.

Sixteen percent of Generation Z who did not register to vote in the 2022 midterm election said they did not know how to or had difficulty completing the application. Of those who did not cast a ballot, 42% reported being too busy or forgot to vote. 

This shows some Gen Z voters lack the resources to effectively begin engaging in the political process compared to earlier generations who are more frequently targeted by campaigns. 

The University had the highest student voter turnout of any four-year institution in the country in 2020 at 80% — in part thanks to initiatives such as Row the Vote. Still, many students don’t get the knowledge they need to be responsible, active citizens in post-graduate life.

Alexa Drescher, a first-year graduate student at the University, said the last government class she took was in sixth grade, and feels she didn’t get sufficient education to do her own research and navigate civic engagement. Drescher said a University-wide required course is important, especially for informing students about the roles of state and federal representatives.

“What does my state representative do?” Drescher said “What does the president do? Who has the power to do what?” 

Drescher said she only recently understood the limited roles of the vice president when observing the Republican Party’s criticisms of Vice President Kamala Harris for both the actions and inactions of the Biden administration — which she has limited power to control.

When citizens lack understanding of how the government operates and who has the power to make significant policy changes, they become vulnerable to misleading claims like those about Harris. College education must help students eliminate this confusion by implementing a required class for everyone. 

Timothy Johnson, a political science and law professor, said civics education is essential for all students to learn to critically evaluate politics and understand the governmental process. 

“From K to 12, as well as in higher education, we simply need to do a better job as educators of teaching students civics,” Johnson said. “It’s just better for how we are as citizens if you understand how government and the process works.”

Johnson said he mostly works with students who are genuinely interested in politics and government in his upper-level courses, but some who come into his introductory course lack critical knowledge of how the government works. Johnson added that students who understand how the government operates are more likely to trust the government and view it as legitimate. 

Nina Maxwell, a first-year student, said she would support a required civic engagement and news literacy course similar to the First-Year Experience courses required in colleges across the University, even if students already learned the content. 

“Even if you know, it’s always good to have a reminder,” Maxwell said.

In our digital world, news literacy is increasingly relevant, and being able to identify misinformation and bias is essential to being a responsible citizen. 

The News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, works nationwide to increase news literacy for K-12 students by providing educational resources that prepare them to be informed members of society. 

According to one of their five news literacy standards, “Students express and exercise civic responsibility by seeking, sharing and producing credible information as effective participants in a democracy.”

Students across the country do not meet this standard by their high school graduation. This makes it even more important for higher education to teach all students basic skills and expand on them to help students become critical thinkers and decision makers. 

Johnson said he wants his students to be able to take the knowledge they learn in class and use it to be active citizens and responsible consumers of information. 

“My job as a teacher, as a social scientist, as a political scientist is to help my students learn how to think, but don’t teach them what to think,” Johnson said. “I don’t concern myself with what they actually believe, as long as they can back it up with good evidence and that the sources they are using that help them suss out those beliefs are good sources.” 

With the spread of misinformation on social media and biased content online, the ability to identify credible sources and use reliable information to form opinions is a cornerstone of effective civic engagement.

Ellias Bjorback, a second-year post-secondary enrollment student, said there needs to be more focus on teaching students how to identify bias in messages online. Prior to taking a government class at the University, Bjorback did not know much about how the government and legislative process works. 

College students invest tens of thousands of dollars in their education, and many will become our future leaders. Higher education institutions have a responsibility to help them become informed and engaged citizens. 

Johnson said he is hopeful students in future classes will enter college with a better understanding of civics because of legislation passed in the 2023 Minnesota legislative session requiring all students to fulfill a citizenship and government course requirement in 11th or 12th grade.

Still, not all students have these requirements in high school and students at the University represent a small percentage of students nationwide. Even fewer will take government courses during their time at the University and those in unrelated majors may not see the need to. 

By requiring civics education and news literacy for all students, the University can give students an advantage in becoming thoughtful, engaged citizens and serve as a model for institutions across the country that are educating the next generation of voters and leaders.