Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522096
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JUNE 2024 This course might be for you Those are crucial, and that's a space where young people can be more involved because they know more about which chan- nels work, which media work, they know how to use TikTok. That's a space where young people can become more ac- tive, and that can politicise them in a good sense." Specifically, within cam- pus grounds, the Quadrangle could also serve as a political space. "I worry when, in most times of the academic year, the Quadrangle – which is the main space where people can meet – is taken over, and some students say hijacked, by com- mercial interests," he said. Here, Borg insisted on stu- dent organisations looking out for funding opportunities so as not to be completely reliant on certain commercial organisa- tions for their existence. "Ob- viously KSU needs its fund- ing and sponsorships, but all student organisations should look. Into sources of funding that would not restrict or cur- tail their activites." "Quad should be a space where much more activities happen in public," he contin- ued. "The university, its ar- chitecture and infrastructure, are not conducive to creating these spaces of encounter and debate. It seems we're not cre- ating the vibe where students can feel more engaged and rooted in communities." But job prospects in politics are weak, no? Borg also insisted that career opportunities from this poli- tics degree are multiple. Many institutions are putting an em- phasis on research in politics – even MPs might need research assistants – so that can be one avenue for people enrolled in this course. "Beyond that, some people who graduate in public poli- cy or politics find themselves working in various entities in the public sector, or even as journalists, so it opens up a number of outlets. People are involved in trade unions, drafting public policies. You can work in public manage- ment or project management within the public sector. And that's just the local dimen- sion." "My wish for this course is to make people realise that pol- itics is not necessarily what they see in the news, that over- ly antagonistic kind of activity. Politics can mean something else," he said. There are also ample ways people can be politically ac- tive beyond participating in political parties. This can be through civil society, the me- dia and other policy fora. "We really want these dif- ferent profiles of people, and even different temperaments. Not everyone approaches pol- itics in the same way. Some prefer the grassroots dimen- sion and can find themselves in this course. Others might have aspirations to get into lo- cal councils and contest elec- tions – this course could be helpful for them. We want to create an interest in politics and to enable young people to find their way to become polit- ically engaged." Why do we need to study politics? The MEP and local council elections campaign was domi- nated by the Vitals corruption scandal. However, Borg said when certain scandals reach this level, it requires a certain degree of knowledge on insti- tutions and political knowl- edge to even understand what is going on. "Sometimes young people don't know where to start from or will read certain quick headlines here and there without really understanding knowledge of process, proce- dure, implications or values that have to do with what is expected in a democratic so- ciety. There are all things that are part of a civic and political education," he said. And ultimately, the point of this undergraduate course is not to discuss what the Labour Party or Nationalist Party is doing. "This is an academic discipline primarily which of course analyses what's going on around us – that's one of the functions of education," Borg said. "If education does not equip you with the critical skills with which to navigate the com- plex world we're living in, the complex mediascape we're interacting with, the broader international and European dimension. This course is real- ly that, and it should appeal to people interested in political thoughts and ideas and theo- ries in political philosophy." "We firmly believe this course is also creating a class- room as a community of sorts, where people can bounce off ideas and disagree. We don't believe in a top-down pedago- gy, we're not here to preach to students. We're here to equip young people with skills." Kurt Borg lectures at the Department of Public Policy at the University of Malta A civil society protest: There are ample ways people can be politically active beyond participating in political parties.