Furthering its mission of encouraging the convergence of scholarship and statesmanship, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Center for Scholarship and Statesmanship at Assumption recently launched the Moynihan Model Senate Project. In this program, Assumption students simulate historical and contemporary Senate debates, with the goal of learning about the nature of statesmanship and the distinct function of the United States Senate in our constitutional republic.
“Our goal is to teach students about the relationship between ideas and action in political life,” said Associate Director of the Moynihan Center Deborah O’Malley, Ph.D. “People often assume that politics is solely about power, but delving into these historical debates demonstrates the importance of the perennial questions of politics.”
According to Thomas Goodman, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of political science who helped prepare students for their first debate in February, the Senate Project, which encompassed a group of 30 students, humanizes history. “They gain a deeper, more well- rounded appreciation of American history through the lens of the Senate,” he said. “For students in unfamiliar terrain, many critical historical figures and events can be indistinguishable and difficult to fully grasp.” He added that through this project, “We hope to inculcate students with a renewed interest in Congress and a recognition of its constructive role as a relevant government body.”
Tess Haller ’20, a political science major from Cape Elizabeth, ME, participated in the project to better understand the legislative process. “I interned in the (U.S.) Senate in Washington, DC, last summer, so it was a unique opportunity to be able to see it from the other side and understand what senators themselves must do in order to get things done,” she explained, adding that the project allowed her to exercise the critical thinking and problem- solving skills that she’s learned in the classroom, as well as the need to work with others to achieve results.
“Seeing the principles that they’ve studied in class emerge throughout a legislative debate shows them how much ideas really do matter,” said O’Malley, who has been impressed by the amount of work and critical thought the students put into the event. “[These students] understand how important ideas are to politics, and that’s exactly what we hoped to demonstrate with this project.”
Despite the shift to remote learning in March, throughout the spring semester, students participated in a handful of Senate debates via Zoom. Future plans call for a visit to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston, which contains a replica of the U.S. Senate chamber and a number of interactive exhibits on the history of the Senate.
The Moynihan Model Senate Project, which was offered to students again this fall, is made possible by a generous grant from the Jack Miller Center, a nonprofit organization that promotes the study of American constitutionalism.
