Summary
As the ongoing “gerrymandering wars” intensify, this session asserts redistricting’s “place” in broader civics education. Mid-decade redistricting battles continue to erupt across the country, including right here in Virginia—but contrary to media narratives, these battles are not unprecedented. Exploring the history and mechanics of redistricting and gerrymandering through a nonpartisan and spatially-grounded lens, we will demonstrate how they are both fundamentally geographical processes and shift the discussion from “which side wins” to “how these processes shape representation.” Participants will gain additional subject area expertise and explore easy-to-incorporate lessons and materials demonstrating geography’s critical role in democratic citizenship and social studies educators’ roles in supporting it.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | GeoCivics
Conference Room
Reynolds Leadership
Meet the Presenter
Adam Dohrenwend is an Assistant Professor of Geography at James Madison University (JMU), where his research and teaching focus on electoral geography and political ecology. He regularly lectures on redistricting and gerrymandering, publishes on these and other electoral geography topics, and provides nonpartisan analysis to a variety of regional print and broadcast media outlets, including on this year’s redistricting referendum in Virginia.
