Baala Shakya, Contributing Photographer
As students head to the ballot box to cast their votes, many Yalies also return to class to learn about the election. From courses about election data to a class taught by a former presidential candidate, the presidential election has made its way into the Yale course load.
Diego Paz ’27 is currently taking “The American Presidency,” taught by prominent presidential scholar Stephen Skowronek. Paz is intrigued by the historical evolution of the presidency and the way in which the office will function once claimed by either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump.
“[In class], we see how past decisions and institutional changes manifest in today’s presidency,” Paz said. “And we discuss how this historical perspective is particularly useful in analyzing the current election. We can see how it’s a reflection of the political and social needs of the time.”
Kevin DeLuca, who teaches “Election Fundamentals and Forecasting,” said that he adapted his teaching and syllabus to this year’s presidential candidates and their unprecedented campaigns. The course, first taught this semester, aims to teach students how to compose models of election data and make outcome predictions.
He said that many of the students enrolled in the class this semester were interested in learning about the presidential election.
“In this class, I’m trying to tie the election to things that are happening in the real world,” DeLuca said.
DeLuca said that an example assignment in the class is watching debates and thinking about how voters will learn about the candidates, as well as how it would affect their votes. He also strives to teach students how to identify facets of a campaign that affect a candidate’s momentum, such as incumbency, rallies, historical voter behavior and partisanship.
Additionally, DeLuca hopes he can teach students how to tap into their analytical skills and better judgment to go against the grain of narratives they read online. The power to change the tide of the election, DeLuca said, resides primarily in young and undecided voters. His guess is that because many members of Gen Z tend to gravitate towards non-traditional news sources, the information garnered from social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter will play another big role in the coming days.
“Both candidates have tried to have a presence on these online platforms to mobilize people,” DeLuca said. “I’m on Twitter, and you can feel the vibe shift that happened when Biden dropped out and Kamala became the candidate, and all these memes generated enthusiasm, some organic and some planned. I think these alternative sources of media are going to affect who they end up voting for.”
Tetiana Kotelnykova GRD ’25 is taking “How to Run a Political Campaign” taught by Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor and unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate. In the class, which is also first taught during this semester, students are divided into teams and curate memos and presentations for Christie, in debate-adjacent format.
Kotelnykova said that throughout the semester thus far, Christie has demonstrated an “exceptional ability” to connect with students and employ humor to make discussing campaign preparation and the upcoming election engaging and fun.
“Taking this class has profoundly shaped my understanding of American politics and the upcoming election,” Kotelnykova said. “Especially as someone from Ukraine who has studied American politics from the outside. This class has provided a rare, behind-the-scenes look at campaign strategies, debate preparation, communication tactics and navigating the dynamics of the 2024 election.”
Kotelnykova said that in the class, she and other students have the opportunity to ask Christie for insights into current political developments, hear stories from his career and see who he predicts will win the election.
DeLuca is excited by the discussions taking place in his class and similar classes regarding the election and voter perception. He believes that much of the interest in election-based or related classes this semester is driven by young people’s interest in predicting the future and the fate of policies that affect them.
“This election is really hard to forecast,” DeLuca said. “It’s within one point of any normal margin of error, and there’s a lot of uncertainty with this election. You can’t decisively pick out the winner.”
The spring 2025 add/drop period opens Nov. 18.