This spring, Associate Professor Amber Wichowsky capped off an impactful first year at La Follette by debuting a new undergraduate course aimed at getting students to think about public policy as part of everyday life, build critical thinking skills, and encourage civic engagement and dialogue.
In PA 230: Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America, Wichowsky taught 26 students from a wide range of majors, including political science, data science, education, human geography, engineering, economics, and anthropology.
In addition to addressing a critically important topic and creating a much-needed space for students to sharpen their civil dialogue skills in the classroom, PA 230 was launched this year with the hope that it will serve as a foundational course for a proposed undergraduate major that La Follette hopes to begin in fall 2026.
Reflecting on the course’s first run, Wichowsky emphasized the importance of face-to-face dialogue and the energy that students brought to tough topics. “One of my biggest successes as an instructor is when I have to quiet the room just to start class,” she said. “This inaugural class had so much energy and joy—yes, a class all about polarization and policy debates was fun! Students showed how much they crave a different kind of political discussion: less online, more open to nuance, complexity, and compromise.”
Not just a classroom exercise
Wichowsky’s arrival to La Follette made an impact off campus as well. In April, the Waunakee Library invited her to give a public presentation on her work and the importance of civil dialogue and strategies for bridging divides through UW-Madison’s Badger Talks program.
Later that month, she presented on rethinking political divides in the Wisconsin State Capitol. The annual UW-Madison Day at the Capitol took her squarely into the halls of government to address the timely topics of political disagreement and constructive conversations.
Helping Eau Claire citizens address homelessness
Less than a month later, Wichowsky traveled to Eau Claire to help the county’s Department of Human Services develop a community plan to address homelessness shaped by the voices and experiences of local residents.
Wichowsky helped organize a citizens’ assembly, a small-scale forum in which a representative group comes together to learn, deliberate, and make recommendations about a specific issue or proposal.
21 Eau Claire County residents participated in the day-long assembly, during which they developed and then voted on a set of recommendations that will inform the community plan to address homelessness.
Kicking the year off with the Main Street Agenda
Eau Claire County identified Wichowsky as a potential partner for the project thanks to her work on La Follette’s Main Street Agenda in the fall. Wichowsky played a key role in helping coordinate and lead the school’s Community Conversation project, one of the most ambitious outreach efforts in school history.
The project brought together nearly 350 Wisconsinites across four cities, including Eau Claire, over structured dinner conversations focused on practicing civil dialogue.
Regardless of the audience or audience size, Wichowsky approached all these engagements with the same values that drive her professionally and personally: open-mindedness, compassion, respect across differences, and a commitment to listen.
The La Follette School is proud of Wichowsky’s outreach efforts this year, and proud to call her a member of its faculty.
You can listen to Wichowsky and the La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee discuss these efforts and the school’s commitment to civil dialogue in an upcoming Badger Talks podcast releasing July 8.