Political science students create mock “Freedom Report” on Middle East countries
Freedom is something many people in the world seek, but what factors contribute to a country being considered free?
This is a question students in Associate Professor of Political Science Katherine Carroll’s course, Middle East Politics, explored by creating a mock report for Freedom House, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promotes democracy, political freedom, and human rights globally.
Since 1973, Freedom House has generated the Freedom in the World report, composed of numerical ratings and supporting descriptive texts for 195 countries and 13 territories. Based on a variety of research and data, this report assesses the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world and is used on a regular basis by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and many others.
As part of her course for the past 10 years, Carroll has tasked her students with creating a mock report for one Middle Eastern country of their choice. The assignment requires students to go through events related to civil and political freedom in their country and decide which are significant, and perhaps even significant enough to change a country’s score. Over the years Carroll has shared many of the best student reports with Freedom House.
Carroll said she started incorporating the activity in her class when she herself became a Freedom House analyst for a country in the Middle East.
“As I wrote my own report and considered my country’s scores, I realized how much I was learning not only about a country I thought I understood quite well, but also about the region as a whole,” she said. “I think whenever we can, we should bring experts in for students to hear from, and we should also—when possible—simulate real world events in class so that students role play. Being on the spot raises people’s performance, but it’s also a great opportunity to help students understand what they are capable of. If they are willing to do the work, then there should be no imposter syndrome. They can leave Vanderbilt, go out into the world, and immediately make a difference.”
While students in Carroll’s class complete the mock report every fall, this year’s course was a bit different: Freedom House Senior Research Analyst Cathryn Grothe came to the class in December to review students’ reports and conduct a mock ratings meeting, mirroring the process Freedom House takes before finalizing their reports and ratings.
“I was amazed by the detailed knowledge my students had developed about their countries and how thoughtful they were about suggesting score changes,” Carroll said. “From what I could tell, my students pointed to potential score changes that may in fact happen this year. I hope this gave them a great sense of accomplishment. In past years I have had students who took Middle East Politics in the fall reach out in January when the Freedom House score changes are published and say, ‘Look! They made the changes I suggested!’”
Hunter Reichel, a senior majoring in political science, said he was grateful to have the opportunity to not only create a mock report, but also to be able to discuss the reports with Grothe.
“I learned just how diligent and comprehensive the Freedom House team is in its scoring and writing process,” Reichel said. “The representative we had the honor of sharing the time with was so knowledgeable and really gave us a special peek into their evaluative lens. She was kind and truly had an extensive background of knowledge to engage us with. Being able to go through all of those countries and truly dialogue about them is no small feat in my eyes. Opportunities like these are extremely valuable, and I appreciate professors like Professor Carroll who want to give us real and practical knowledge.”
Carroll said she has had former students express their appreciation and enjoyment of the assignment, and she hopes it helps give them a different perspective on the value of freedom.
“It is important for students to look closely at the state of freedom globally so that they can, first, appreciate their own civil and political freedoms and deepen their determination to protect them,” she said. “Second, the people of the Middle East are not nearly as free as they should be, and writing a Freedom House report—I hope—helped students understand that this is not because of their culture or inherent preferences. So often, the people of the Middle East have taken heroic risks for freedom; we can’t understand the power of repression in the region without appreciating their actions, which is also part of exploring our common values and humanity.”