SE Valley Times

Five students recently delivered a presentation at Arizona State University (ASU), but unlike typical presentations, this one involved an intergenerational team. The group ranged from a first-year student to Bill Gates, an 80-year-old resident of Mirabella at ASU, a senior living community in downtown Tempe.

This presentation was part of the "Educating for Democracy?" class, a Humanities Lab course exploring the connections between education and democracy with students of various ages. Professor Daniel Schugurensky, who co-teaches the class with Carl Hermanns, explained that the course embraces an inclusive approach. “The Humanities Lab has this inclusive approach that brings different perspectives to the challenges in society and in terms of education,” Schugurensky said.

The class encourages critical questioning about education and democracy. Students were divided into teams to investigate these themes and propose solutions to societal challenges. One team's project aimed to connect ASU students with science teachers to implement sustainability projects at a Title 1 middle school by spring 2026. Another team examined scapegoating in society and suggested education as a means to reduce it. “Their hypothesis is that one way to diminish scapegoating in society is through education,” Schugurensky noted.

Second-year student Katie Richie expressed how the class changed her perspective on education and democracy. Similarly, other students like Cielo Monge initially found the age diversity surprising but soon appreciated it. Bill Gates praised today’s college students: “You hear all this crap about students being lazy, and it’s just not true.”

Students benefited from exchanging knowledge across generations. Alexandra Hess valued discussions with peers from different backgrounds, saying there is always something to learn from everyone. Amanda Wright shared advice with younger classmates on managing their coursework effectively.

Monge found value in learning from older classmates' experiences and insights, while Gates enjoyed engaging with younger minds: “I’ve learned a lot from them.”