Holley Tankersley

The University of Georgia
School of Public and International Affairs
Department of Political Science

BA, Birmingham-Southern College, 1999
MPP, Georgetown University, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, 2002

Fields of Study: American Government and Politics, Public Policy

Research Interests: State and Local Politics/Policy, Federalism, Social Welfare Policy, Electoral Coalitions

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Teaching Philosophy

Philosopher Jürgen Habermas defined democracy as “a social process, in which people meet, discuss, modify, and reach a decision.” This has become my own definition of the university classroom. Just as democracy is rooted in both means and ends, learning is both a journey and a destination. Political science is the study of the rules, issues, conflicts, and problems that shape our everyday lives. Perhaps this is why I view education as an ongoing process that extends well beyond the classroom. Consequently, I believe that my job as a teacher is to give students the tools they need to challenge not only their own knowledge and beliefs, but also those of their friends, teachers, and communities.

Teaching plays an invaluable role in my professional development. Being forced to clearly articulate and explain political theories, institutions, problems, and phenomena challenges me to constantly reevaluate my own understanding of political science. I have learned to be comfortable with questioning the conventional wisdom and sharing my own questions with my students. They often have answers that had never occurred to me, and when they realize that I am still learning, they gain more confidence in their ability to analyze the subject matter. This mutual exchange of ideas becomes the linchpin of the social and educational process.

I place significant emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills. While facts and figures are important to understanding the historical development of American government, the dynamic nature of politics and government requires that students learn to analyze new problems, issues, and developments. I approach each topic in political science with this in mind. I begin with an explanation of the basic institutional structures of government before turning to a discussion of political processes and developments that have impacted those institutions. Tying these two concepts together paves the way for a discussion of how policy is made and why our political system produces the policy outputs that it does. I also employ the case study method to encourage students to think about how democratic outputs might change if we altered institutional rules or political processes. The idea that small changes can produce radically different policies opens students to the possibility that the democratic process is meaningful and that they have a crucial role to play in that process.

Each day in the classroom is an opportunity for me to progress in my own professional development. More importantly, each class is an opportunity for my students to engage in the social process of learning. As my students and I listen to and learn from one another, we broaden our experiences. This experience leads us to develop the intellectual flexibility, tolerance, and curiosity that are crucial to democratic participation in American society. Aside from asking my students to consider the ideas and experiences of others, I believe that education without expectations is a futile exercise. If students believe that I expect little from myself or from them, they will not be open to learning. Thus I am responsible for setting high expectations for my students and myself. As I work to meet my own professional goals and enhance the learning experience for my students, my objective as a teacher is to prepare my students to be citizens who are capable of meeting, discussing, modifying, and decision-making in any context.