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A Hands-On Course In Political Science

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A course called State and Local Government may seem dull; but not if you're a student at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jayne Jones, a political science instructor, labels her course experiential learning - applying concepts to reality.

This spring, students from the fall semester in her class on The Minnesota Legislature, are spending most of their time at the State Office Building near the campus, trying to push bills into law.

Work centered on Kyle Herman. a non-verbal boy with Down Syndrome who, it was reported in the newspaper, had been physically and verbally abused by his kindergarten teacher. His parents weren't told until two years later. The class voted to draft legislation on parent notification.

The students wrote the bill known as Kyle's Law, worked to get it passed through committees and on to the Governor's signing.

Read more in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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