Teaching the News Archives - Close Up Foundation

Executive Branch Foreign Policy Teaching the News

Teaching and Discussing the Israel-Hamas Conflict

October 25, 2023

In last week’s post, we provided some background about what is happening in Israel and Gaza. In this week’s post, we offer some additional resources that could help students and teachers understand what is happening. Axios gathered a list of people, places, and terms that could help people engage with news stories about the conflict. U.S. […]

Young Americans’ Views on the 2024 Presidential Election

October 13, 2023

Over the last two weeks, we have explored results from American University’s Reimagining the American Dream Survey, conducted in partnership with Close Up, the Generation Lab, and the Millennial Action Project. This third and final post will examine the respondents’ views and ideas surrounding the 2024 election. As a reminder, American University’s Sine Institute survey […]

For Young Americans, the “American Dream” Resonates Differently

September 29, 2023

How has the “American Dream” changed over time? In September, the Sine Institute of Policy and Politics at American University released the results of a survey of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34. The poll, which was conducted in partnership with Close Up, the Generation Lab, and the Millennial Action Project, explored “what […]

TikTok & The First Amendment

March 31, 2023

On March 23, 2023, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing as part of an ongoing review of TikTok and its connections to the Chinese government. TikTok CEO Shou Chew was the focus of the hearing and took questions from members of Congress on a wide range of topics, including the ways […]

Mishandling Classified Information

February 01, 2023

The handling of sensitive information has become a headline-grabbing issue in recent months owed to the discovery of classified documents at the homes and offices of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence. The political consequences of any judgment of wrongdoing on behalf of former President Trump, President Biden, […]

Understanding the Iranian Hijab Protests

September 30, 2022

In recent days, Iran has been gripped by a series of mass protests that have gained international attention. The protests, largely led by women, are somewhat unprecedented. While both protest and women’s participation in protests in Iran are not new, the protests of the past two weeks are remarkable as the first of such scale […]

Ranked-Choice Voting: A Curiosity or Coming Reform?

September 06, 2022

In August, Democrat Mary Peltola won Alaska’s lone seat in the House of Representatives in a special election to replace Don Young (R), who passed away in March 2022.1 Peltola defeated two Republicans, former Governor Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III. Peltola becomes the first Alaska Native person to be elected to Congress.2 This election […]

Summer Roundup: Back to School with the Supreme Court, the Midterms, and the Search of Mar-a-Lago

August 30, 2022

In communities across the country, teachers are welcoming students back to school as the summer draws to a close. The beginning of the school year is an exciting and important time for establishing good civic habits in students. To help facilitate dialogue among students and spark civil discussion in the classroom, we are reviewing several […]

Diversity, Discord & Democracy

August 24, 2022

We do not have to look far to find evidence of strong partisan hostility in the United States. People are ending long-term friendships, or even cutting off communication with family, over political discord.1 Partisan animosity—feelings of anger, fear, and distrust toward those with whom we disagree—has been steadily increasing for decades.2 Earlier this month, the […]

Health Care Teaching the News

The COVID-19 Omicron Variant

December 09, 2021

On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization announced the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant in South Africa. The same day, President Joe Biden closed the borders to travelers from South Africa and seven nearby nations (Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi) in the hope of slowing the spread of the variant […]