In a time when political discourse can feel more like a battlefield than a dialogue, a new course at Swarthmore is attempting to bring civility, nuance, and open-mindedness back into the conversation. 

The course is called Great Issues in Public Policy, and taught by Associate Professor of Economics Syon Bhanot and Claude C. Smith ’14 Professor of Political Science Dominic Tierney, who also jointly designed it this year. The course aims high — it requires students to critically engage with some of the most pressing and controversial policy debates of our era, in a way that brings in a variety of viewpoints, including many the students may not agree with. 

Covering topics from abortion to artificial intelligence, from the war in Ukraine to immigration, the course offers students a rare space to explore policy issues in an intellectually rigorous yet open and respectful way. It arose from Bhanot’s and Tierney’s shared interest in policy issues and the periodic chats they would have about bringing more policy perspectives into the classroom. But the course’s development was also deeply personal and timely. 

“We are all at an inflection point,” Bhanot explains. “Globally, socially, and even on our own campus, we are experiencing profound disruptions. Polarization isn’t just happening ‘out there’ — it’s happening to us, too. And if we don’t create academic spaces where ideas can be exchanged, even counter-attitudinal ones, we in academia risk further marginalization from broader society.”

Tierney echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that public policy is rarely black and white.

“Once you wrestle with the challenges of making policy — considering trade-offs, weighing unintended consequences — you start to lose that binary perspective. You gain a more nuanced understanding, and that’s exactly what we hope to cultivate.”

Bringing Many Voices to the Table

The course is structured around weekly themes, each addressing a critical policy issue. But what truly sets it apart is the breadth of perspectives it invites into the classroom.

“We’ve had speakers ranging from a Quaker peace studies professor to a U.S. Army Special Forces officer,” says Tierney. “From Planned Parenthood leadership to prominent legal scholars who take a pro-life position on abortion. The goal is to expose students to as many viewpoints as possible.”

For students, Great Issues in Public Policy is unlike any other class they’ve taken — a space in which to challenge and be challenged. Noah Pearlman ’25 was drawn to the course because it allowed him to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world issues.

“This course has provided a rare opportunity to gain a high-level understanding of national and global challenges while also engaging in meaningful discussions about solutions,” says Pearlman, a political science, philosophy, and economics special major from Tampa, Fla.

The course’s online Slack forum has become a hub for these discussions, fostering intellectual engagement beyond the confines of the classroom.

“The quality of the student conversations has been impressive,” Tierney remarks. “Even when they disagree, they remain constructive. That’s not something you see very often — especially in discussions about issues as contentious as Israel-Palestine, for example.”

For Reza Homayounfar ’26, the focus on current events was the biggest draw.

“Most courses only touch on modern issues briefly before pivoting back to historical content,” says Homayounfar, of New York City. “Here, we stay rooted in the present. I love that we don’t just discuss these topics. We dissect them, challenge them, and think critically about their implications.”

The guest speaker series, supported by the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility and also attended by various College faculty, has also been a highlight. For example, during the course week on global democracy, students heard from Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, who discussed her new book on the rise of personalist politics and democratic backsliding.

“I was fascinated by her insights on El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and how he has become the first ‘TikTok president,’” says Homayounfar. “It’s incredible to learn from people who are shaping these discussions at the highest levels.” Indeed, Kendall-Taylor connected with the students from a U.S. military compound in Germany, where she was taking part in policy conversations about NATO under the Trump Administration.

Challenging Assumptions, Expanding Minds

For Cara Dominici ’27, the course has been a breath of fresh air along her academic journey.

“I’ve taken many incredible economics and political science classes here at Swarthmore,” she says, “but none have challenged my personal beliefs like this one. A lack of listening is a core issue in American politics today, and higher education must not become an echo chamber.

“This class forces us to engage with perspectives we might otherwise dismiss,” adds Dominici, of Westford, Mass. “That’s exactly what a true education should provide.”

That aligns with the goals of the faculty, who want the students to leave with an understanding that issues they feel passionately about are often more complex than they seem.

“Social media feeds us only what we want to hear, stripping away nuance,” says Bhanot. “This course is about reintroducing that nuance — helping students see that those on the other side of an issue aren’t evil, but simply operating from a different set of experiences and values. I want our students to be agents of social change, but that requires that they truly engage with and have empathy for those who do not agree with them.”

Adds Tierney: “Oftentimes, there are no easy answers. But even a small step forward is worth taking, because the stakes are so high, and these are real human lives.”

For Bhanot and Tierney, the course has been as much about reaffirming their own faith in the power of education as it has been about guiding students.

“This class has given me a renewed sense of optimism,” says Bhanot. “It’s heartening to see students engage so thoughtfully, to see them push through discomfort and wrestle with difficult ideas. If nothing else, it proves that there is still a demand for genuine intellectual exchange on the biggest issues of our time.”