W&M ScholarWorks Articles Fall 2012 Want to Teach about SuperPACs? What We Can Learn from Stephen Colbert Jeremy Stoddard College of William & Mary, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/articles Part of the Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons Recommended Citation Stoddard, Jeremy, "Want to Teach about SuperPACs? What We Can Learn from Stephen Colbert" (2012). Articles. 8. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/articles/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Articles by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 41 Commentary_______________________________________________________________________ Want to Teach about SuperPACs? What We Can Learn from Stephen Colbert Jeremy Stoddard, PhD Spears Distinguished Associate Professor School of Education College of William & Mary Willia msb ur g, VA Abstract The emergence of the SuperPACs in American politics is a major issue in the current election. SuperPACs, and the media campaigns they fund, also present a major challenge for media and democratic education. This article explores the issues surrounding SuperPACs and the rise of media in elections and politics in general, and presents some starting points for addressing these challenges in K-12 school curriculum and policy. Key areas addressed include: the need for more issues - centered and deliberative curriculum that engage students in examining the complexities of contemporary issues; a focus on media literacy in the social studies curriculum; and the potential for using popular culture, such as Stephen Colbert’s segments on SuperPACs, to engage students in current debates. Keywords social studies education, media education, popular culture __________________________________________________________________________________ Vo l. 9, No. 3 Fall 2012 AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice 42 here is a lack of media education and student the day, such as the ongoing war in T Afghanistan and the upcoming presidential engagement with controversial issues in election, superficially as a current event and not American schools. This seems to run through sustained and engaged inquiry and concurrently with a lack of in-depth curricula deliberation. It is difficult for our future and teaching about the dynamic nature of our citize ns to question the status quo of current political system in general and the evolving politics if they do not study it deeply. issues in this country. The creation of an informed citizenry SuperPAC that questions the status quo, as envisioned by Another timely current issue not discussed in some like Thomas Jefferson, seems to have meaningful ways in social studies classes, and been replaced by memorizing facts and figures the one that I focus on in this article, is the rise needed for a high stakes test. of the “SuperPAC” in American politics. Dissent, questioning, and strategizing These SuperPACs, which have emerged solutio ns to ill-structured problems are from the US Supreme Court Citizen’s United fundamental goals of educators to prepare ruling, present a major challenge for voters and citizens to participate in a democracy and the US political system. Despite the importance engage in a media rich world. These are also of this issue, it is lightly covered on the nightly knowledge and processes that cannot easily be news, and is likely not presented as an issue of measured on a selected-response exam. importance in social studies classrooms. This current context of education, and The US Supreme Court decision, social studies education in particular, has led to officially known as Citizen’s United v. Federal a narrowing of the curriculum with a focus on Election Commission (FEC) (2009), poses a static sets of facts as the measured outcomes, major challenge to our democratic processes and an overall reduction of teaching social and institutions and amplifies the need for studies in those states that do not require end of media and democratic education. course or graduation high stakes social studies assessments (Au, 2009). In Citizen’s, the court ruled that corporations have the rights of citizens during As a result of the focus on tested an election and that money is akin to speech subjects teachers have less control over what and should not be limited. This enables they can teach and, in some cases, how they are corporations, unions, and other organizations or able to engage students in the classroom. wealthy individuals to support issues campaigns and candidates with unlimited funds Similarly, media education is also through “SuperPACs” or super political action marginalized, often placed in the English committees (501(c)(4)) with less transparency Language Arts curriculum, in isolated moments than traditional donations. in the social studies curriculum, or not The impact of the Citizen’s ruling is addressed at all, as it is a skill that is difficult to omnipresent in the current presidential election, assess using a selected response (multiple- as a small group of wealthy individuals is able choice) exam. This is especially problematic as to sustain candidates and attempt to influence students likely encounter important issues of the electorate through broadcasting __________________________________________________________________________________ Vol. 9, No. 3 Fall 2012 AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice 43 advertisements and documentary films. SuperPAC topic is perfect for engaging students in deliberation and media literacy Candidates and their partner activities. SuperPACs spent at least twenty million dollars in the Florida Republican primary alone, and Issue-Oriented Curriculum Newt Gingrich’s campaign was kept alive Teachers should use contemporary issues to through millions of dollars provided by one engage students in the content and concepts of long-term supporter to the “Winning our the curriculum. The study of issues can make Future” SuperPAC (Confessore, 2012). content more relevant and help to model to students one aspect of how to become an Not just national elections are being informed citizen. influenced by wealthy individuals’ donations to these SuperPACs. Wisconsin Governor Scott Teachers could use the issues that arise Walker was able to raise approximately twenty- from the Citizen’s case to engage students in five millio n dollars to fight against his recall examining the history and policies of election from office, with two thirds of this money finance and the role of the media in politics as coming from donors outside of the state part of a civics or government course. (Kaufman, May 24, 2012). Or, Citizen’s could be used as a relevant This is unprecedented money for a entrée to examine the history of elections and gubernatorial race in the state and on par with the influence of money in such comparison the fundraising of some presidential candidates. cases as the Tammany Hall era of corruption in politics in New York and the role of 19th Citizen’s is a complex ruling that has century industrialists who attempted to sway led to complex and serious implications for our the political process for personal gain. political system. Further, this issue has been largely absent from the mainstream media and Aspects of the Citizen’s case and the high school social studies curricula. aftermath could serve as examples to teach concepts such as political speech and Most K-12 social studies curricula focus electioneering communication, or to investigate on a theoretical or “textbook version” of the how the ruling in the case reflects particular election processes and devotes a little time to politica l ideologies. election advertising. Resources for SuperPACs The curriculum and textbooks often do Given the difficulties of finding curriculum to not provide the materials or experiences teach about current events and issues, and the necessary to equip students with the critical lag that occurs as formal curriculum producers media literacy skills; these are skills needed to develop materials, where can teachers go to separate fact from fiction or to develop an find information and resources to help teach understanding of the dynamic ways in which about SuperPACs and the Citizen’s ruling? special issues groups and candidates use the st media in the 21 century. Although there has been a recent rise in the mainstream media coverage of SuperPACs, Further, students often view this the best source for learning and even teaching theoretical textbook version of our current about the ramifications of Citizen’s may be elections system as dull and irrelevant. The Stephen Colbert, comedian and faux news __________________________________________________________________________________ Vo l. 9, No. 3 Fall 2012 AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice 44 anchor. Colbert is not in the business of and several days before the Iowa Republican education, at least not in the traditional sense. Caucuses his SuperPAC ran its first ads. However, he and fake news counterpart In later episodes, Colbert handed over Jon Stewart might serve a more powerful role control of the SuperPAC to Stewart so that he than the “real” news they satire by exposing the could explore running for “the President of the technical functions and severe implications of United States of South Carolina,” with Potter Citizen’s. His show, The Colbert Report, is also again explaining the technicalities. This clip extremely popular with young demographics. illustrates that