Modern Politics
Krista Jenkins, Professor of Political Science and Director, PublicMind
By Kenna Caprio
Politics matter. That’s what Krista Jenkins wants students to realize. “Politics has a connection to their lives. It is not something that happens ‘out there.’ It affects all of us.”
She also emphasizes critical thinking in her classroom. “Ask critical questions. Follow the news,” Jenkins says. “Sometimes a question is not a challenge, it’s just a conversation.” In today’s polarized political climate, striking up a conversation can seem daunting, so Jenkins prioritizes an understanding of civics. “Part of society is discourse and respect for other viewpoints.”

Sometimes that respect can start with a simple question. Jenkins may ask, “What’s your first political memory?” to kick off a discussion. Her own fascination with politics started early. “From a young age, I found politics interesting. I don’t really have a point in my life where it became relevant. It always was.”
After Jenkins completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, she studied gender and politics for her PhD at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. There, she trained in survey methodology at the Eagleton Institute of Politics — leading her to FDU’s PublicMind™ polling institute.
Her work there has made Jenkins more attentive to statewide issues. “Oftentimes, the things that affect you the most are not things happening in Washington, but rather things that are happening in your local community and in Trenton, N.J.”
In the classroom, she strives to break down any discomfort about talking politics. “Young men seem to be more comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. Young women tend to be more reticent.”

Society, though, benefits from having both men and women in positions of political power, contributing their voices and bringing up new and different life experiences and concerns, says Jenkins. “If there are more women in positions of leadership, on both the right and the left, it sends an implicit message to younger girls, ‘This is OK. You can do this, too.’”
The lifting of many voices can lead to change, which Jenkins is careful to point out, is not always inevitable. “Change happens because people make it happen,” she says. And after being in her class, her students know that, too.
Ed. note: A version of this article first appeared in the Winter/Spring 2017 edition of FDU Magazine.
