This past week, Doane celebrated another American Democracy Week (ADW), packed with events designed to educate and uplift campus voices. Hosted by Professor Amanda Irions, Professor Tim Hill and Sara Hinds, copywriter in the Office of Strategic Marketing, the week had an event each day except Friday.
The week kicked off with a screening of the “Trust Me” documentary, highlighting the need for media literacy in the age of technology. Sophomore Connie Jarm attended the viewing and found it interesting, remembering a specific case covered in the documentary that occurred in New Zealand, where “this guy was giving people misinformation about vaccines and how to protect their kids from measles.”
Following that event, Tuesday would see the return of the “What’s Happening in Washington?” Q&A, where Hill fielded questions on topics like voter fraud, DEI and vaccine policy, with insights from Irions, Hinds and alumnus Travis Handler, joining via Zoom for a constitutional law discussion. Hill emphasized the concept of states as “laboratories of democracy” and the evolving nature of the digital political landscape.
Throughout the week, Hill and Irions spoke in various classrooms about democracy, critical thinking and the spread of misinformation, especially during uncertain times. Irions highlighted how relationships can impact what we say to others and what we believe. “If we stop being able to trust the people in power, then suddenly we’re completely on our own,” Hill said, reflecting on misinformation.
On Wednesday, the Art & Design showcase in Nyrop displayed student projects from Drawing and Graphic Design Three classes. Students in the Drawing class were given the prompt of depicting a hot take. Works covered topics like caffeine addiction, sports hierarchy, the impact of TikTok and the hidden efforts of art majors. Senior Ella Zubieni’s piece presented the idea that “no billionaire is ethical” with Taylor Swift at the forefront of her piece.
“The world is in flames in the background,” Zubieni said. “The focus is on her and what she’s doing and not the bad things she’s doing.”
Four students from Graphic Design Three presented “a story of propaganda through graphic design,” featuring graphic design pieces from the American Civil War, World War I, World War II and the modern era. The showcase aimed to demonstrate how artists can influence viewers with their own biases or propaganda.
Thursday held a propaganda workshop led by Civic Nebraska, focusing on the impact of misinformation and social media, and encouraging participants to approach civic issues from an unbiased perspective.
Saturday marked the end of the week with a special collaboration featuring Dine:09. Lakeside was filled with the aroma of freshly popped popcorn, key lime pie and pecan pie. Participants formed teams to compete in democracy-themed trivia, answering questions about conspiracy theories, misinformation, campaign ads, current events, political cartoons and famous gaffes. The winning team, American Pie, took home candy, while everyone else enjoyed leftover pie.
