American Capitalism is Focus of June 20-24 High School Teachers' Workshop

Who better to work out issues in our American democracy than teachers — those guides and mentors of our future political leaders?

That’s the premise behind the Bennion Teachers’ Workshop on June 20-24, which for 2016 studies “Democracy and the Future of American Capitalism.” The workshop is provided by and held on the campus of Utah State University in Logan.

As adults, high school youngsters today can expect to face such issues as hyper partisanship, immigration struggles and a widening income gap. As a result, the workshop is designed to bring together high school teachers and national experts to brainstorm ideas on how to best pass on our American ideal of democracy.

The participants will look back at historic economic policies, said workshop director Peter McNamara of Utah State’s political science department, but they’ll also discuss the future of an economy still in recovery.

“The 2008 economic crash called into question not only the economic institutions of the United States but also the relationship between its economic and its political structures,” he said.

The workshop targets those secondary educators who teach American history — teachers of history, current events and political science, for instance. Conference-goers will meet with USU’s own specialists, as well as a respected author and a Utah government economics official to look back at what McNamara describes as “the future of American capitalism.”

Ione Spencer Bennion, the long-time Logan school teacher and former dean of women at USU whose endowment funds the continuing workshops, never looked away from confronting hard issues head on. During the 1950s and ‘60s, she worked with the Utah Commission on Civil Rights to pass the Utah Voting Rights Act of 1965. Until her death in 1997, she spoke for women and minority rights and shared her belief that only a democratic government could offer justice.

The Bennion fund is overseen by the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at USU.

In addition to McNamara, other Utah State faculty will be involved. Sociologist Christy Glass will speak on “Inequality.”  Greg Goelzhauser, assistant professor of political science, will speak on “Money and Politics.”  Philosopher Harrison Kleiner will moderate a session on “Markets and Morality.”

Bringing in another type of expertise will be Theresa Foxley from the Utah governor’s office, discussing Utah’s economic prospects. Also, Marc Landy of Boston College will speak on “Presidential Leadership and the Economy.”  Landy is an expert on both the presidency and public policy. He is the co-author of the book Presidential Greatness.

According to McNamara, an associate professor of political science at USU, workshop attendees “will consider some of the big issues facing the United States today — inequality, globalization, debt and economic growth, among others.”

The workshop will use a variety of approaches to consider these issues. Workshop participants also will brainstorm ways to integrate their new insights into the secondary education curriculum.

Event details:

9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, June 20-24

Old Main, Room 340, USU, Logan

Cost: $140 ($50 workshop fee plus $90 tuition)

More information and an application form is available online.

The Mountain West Center for Regional Studies is in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. For more information, contact barbara.warnes@usu.edu.