To the Editor,

In response to an article written about the newly launched Diversity Plan, we, the students of History 299: Radical Democracy, would like to bring attention to a recent initiative to diversify our Bucknell experience.

Earlier this semester, we decided to take it upon ourselves to institute our own democratic classroom. We realized that the traditional model of the classroom is based on a system that does not allow students to have any significant input in their learning. We felt the need to reclaim ownership of our education and we knew that we needed to do this sooner rather than later.

We understand that students may think that a democratic classroom would be ineffective and that nothing would ever get accomplished. But our class rejects this notion. Because we control our classroom, we are able to decide what we want to learn and how we want to conduct ourselves. We have all become more engaged in class, and this has enabled us to have more in-depth and complex conversations without needing a professor to monopolize the discussions.

After taking control of our classroom, we gained a newfound sense of pride in our education, and as a result, we began to put forth extra effort into our studies. Obviously there have been some roadblocks along the way, but by overcoming those challenges we have learned to think more critically and have grown as individuals. After all, isn’t the mission of the University to educate “men and women for a lifetime of critical thinking and strong leadership characterized by continued intellectual exploration, creativity, and imagination?”

We believe that all classrooms on this campus should work to incorporate a more democratic structure. A democratic classroom requires the participation of all members, and this will motivate all students to come to class prepared and partake in class discussion which ultimately promotes an all inclusive academic environment.

We challenge the notion that learning can only exist within the confines of a traditional classroom setting. We ask you to seriously consider the benefits of a democratic classroom and encourage you to implement our democratic strategies in your classroom.

Sincerely,

The Students of Radical Democracy