Class assignments rarely are scrutinized quite like this. At least, that might be what Merrill Skaggs would have to say.
The Drew University professor took a creative and constructive step this semester by making a trip to the polls for the upcoming election - a requirement for her American literature class.
The assignment has come under attack by members of the university's faculty. Skaggs told The New York Times that her idea was called "totalitarian." But the critics who maintain that the professor overstepped her bounds are making flawed arguments.
Skaggs responded to the uproar by altering the requirement. Instead of being compelled to vote, her students just have to enter the voting booth. They no longer are required to pull the lever, but the professor didn't fully back down, either.
The instructor stood by her position in an interview with the Times, stating that students don't just study the forces that shape American culture - they also participate in shaping it.
Furthermore, Skaggs noted that all academic courses have requirements, such as turning in work on time. Getting up and making a trip to the ballot box isn't that much more to ask.
It's counterproductive for those who want to see more young people voting to oppose an academic requirement holding that students go to the polls.
The issue arrives at a time when lives are being lost in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our nation is working to turn these countries into democratic, voting societies of free men and women.
Skaggs' critics would do well to consult a faculty member of Drew's history department, who could remind them that our nation's forefathers once fought a war for the right of representation.