Civic Engagement at BSU | Bridgewater State University
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Civic Engagement at BSU
Working to Make a Difference
Bridgewater State University works in an interdisciplinary and interdivisional fashion to offer opportunities that educate, inform, engage, and empower our students and broader community about civic engagement. We encourage all members of the community to be actively engaged in their local, regional and global communities. BSU engages and educates students and the community on the importance of democratic engagement, civic learning, and civic participation and community leadership at the local, state and national levels.
Civic engagement
is working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.
Democratic Engagement
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The engagement of citizens in public life and in government through political institutions, organizations and activities.
Civic Learning
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A process through which people develop the knowledge, skills and commitments to interact effectively with fellow community members to address shared problems.
Civic Participation and Community Leadership
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Individuals and groups taking political and nonpolitical actions to support their community.
Simply Civics
An approach to better understand the United States democratic experience from the early days of independence to the present.
Using short examples of events, personalities, documents, controversies and trivia,
Simply Civics
is designed to explain American politics and government in a way that is clear, concise and conversational.
Simply Civics
is part of Bridgewater State University’s commitment to civic education and civic engagement at a time when it is vitally important that citizens have a working knowledge and appreciation of the values, the vision and the policies that form the foundation of our democratic system.
Authored By Michael Kryzanek, Professor Emeritus of Political Science.
During his years in the Political Science Department, he was the longest serving chairperson and helped launch the Master of Public Administration program. After leaving the Department in 2015 Dr. Kryzanek was appointed the Executive Director of the Minnock Center for International Engagement with responsibility for expanding the university’s global presence. From 2016-2019 Dr. Kryzanek was the Academic Director in the Public Management Institute for the U.S. State Department’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that brought 25 Fellows to the campus as Mandela Fellows. He continues as a consultant for that program.
Currently, Dr. Kryzanek is participating in Bridgewater State’s Senior College where he teaches courses on American politics and government. Dr. Kryzanek received his Ph.D from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975. He is the author of eight books on U.S. foreign policy, American government and comparative politics. His latest book, written with his daughter Dr. Ann Karreth, is
25 Issues That Shape American Politics: Debates, Differences and Divisions
. Dr. Kryzanek is the board chair of Fr. Bill’s and Mainspring, the largest homeless organization on the South Shore and President of the Rotary Club of the Bridgewaters. He lives in Whitman with his wife Carol. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.
April 2, 2026
Voting in America: Challenges and Obstacles
The long and intricate journey of voting rights in the United States.
March 4, 2026
St. Augustine, Pope Leo and the Theory of a Just War?
How do the U.S. strikes on Iran fit within the Just War Theory?
February 5, 2026
The Politics of Corporate America
How does the U.S. system of government intersect with its economic system?
January 13, 2026
Venezuela, Trump and the Law
Examining the United States' intervention in Venezuela.
November 21, 2025
What’s Wrong with Political Parties?
Examining American political parties, from George Washington's apprehensions to modern divisions.
October 28, 2025
The Changing Character of the Supreme Court
What is happening to the U.S. Supreme Court and what does this direction represent?
September 30, 2025
Taxes, Deficits and Debt
The implications of the "Big Beautiful Bill" on American taxation.
August 28, 2025
The State of Local Education
Public education's vital role in American society.
July 22, 2025
What It Means To Be a Good Citizen
Taking a look at the qualities of a good citizen in 2025 and how to escape the trap of national indifference.
June 12, 2025
The Many Meanings of Freedom of Speech
An examination of how the First Amendment provision of freedom of speech has evolved in the United States.
April 28, 2025
Does the System of Checks and Balances Work Anymore?
A look at how the United States’ system of checks and balances is designed to work and its current challenges.
March 25, 2025
The Size and Role of America’s Bureaucracy
How does the federal bureaucracy keep the United States running, and what are the effects of dismantling it?
February 19, 2025
Making Canada the 51st State
Can Canada really be added as a state? How would that work?
January 27, 2025
Is There a Constitutional Convention in our Future?
What is a Constitutional Convention and what does it mean for the future of the United States?
December 10, 2024
Advice and Consent and the Filibuster
The Senate's power, polarization, and moving forward.
October 28, 2024
What We Believe As Americans
What does America stand for — in the past, now, and going forward?
September 24, 2024
America and the World: The Challenges of U.S. Foreign Policy
The role of the United States in foreign policy and global events as “leader of the free world.”
August 22, 2024
The Women’s Rights Movement
A look back at the first wave of the American women's rights movement.
July 26, 2024
The Role of the Media in American Politics
An examination of The Fourth Estate.
June 14, 2024
Reforming American Government
How complicated is it to change the system of government?
April 17, 2024
The Power of the Supreme Court
A look at some of the Supreme Court decisions that have shaped policy in the United States.
March 12, 2024
Polls, Pollsters and Politics
How polling fits into the political landscape of the U.S.
February 6, 2024
Money and Politics
The cost and business of democracy in the United States.
January 8, 2024
The Electoral College
Deciphering the Electoral College, the system that elects the United States president.
November 29, 2023
The Ongoing Struggle with Immigration
A brief look at the immigration crisis and the clashing philosophies surrounding it.
October 19, 2023
The Role of the Military in American Government and National Life
The “military-industrial complex” and its influence in the U.S.
September 11, 2023
The Power of the President
An overview of the powers and responsibilities of the office of the President.
August 7, 2023
Political Parties in American Public Life
The rise of political parties and partisanship in the United States.
June 29, 2023
The Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary
Understanding the third branch of the U.S. government.
May 30, 2023
The Doctrine of Separation of Church and State
An overview of the establishment clause of the First Amendment and its role in American politics.
April 24, 2023
The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
The ambitious job description set by the American people.
March 13, 2023
Guns, Violence and the Second Amendment
Discussing the debate over proper definition and implementation of the Second Amendment.
January 23, 2023
The United States’ Treatment of Native Americans
A sad, cruel legacy of control and neglect in the United States.
November 28, 2022
1776: A Year of Destiny
There has been much written about the events and personalities of 1776 — some fact, some myth, some legend.
September 26, 2022
The Struggle for Women’s Voting Rights
Women have struggled to gain their right to cast ballots and have their voice heard in the political arena. Let’s take a look at this struggle for women and voting, often termed suffrage.
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