Learn, Motivate, Create

Los Medanos Community Education

Lifelong Learners Lecture Series

2020 Democracy & Voting

Online Lecture Series

Professor Ryan Hiscocks, LMC political science instructor, will present his lecture series on Zoom and participants can ask questions. 

Meet Ryan Hiscocks »

Ryan Hiscocks
- LMC Instructor of Polical Science 

Professor Hiscocks is from Long Beach, CA and graduated with an MA from Cal State Long Beach in Political Science with an emphasis in political theory and international relations. He worked numerous blue-collar jobs in the movie and airline industries until he started teaching at Los Medanos College.  

Before that he taught at Long Beach City College (LBCC), Cerritos College, and Santiago 

Canyon College. Ryan is the first person in his family to earn a college degree and discovered his love for political science while he was a student at LBCC.  

Ryan has a wife (Ashley) and two children, Rex (4) and Everett (3). His family and teaching are the main focuses of his life. Before they had children, he and Ashley loved to travel internationally, backpack in the Sierra Nevada, wine taste, and spend time with close friends and family.   Ryan Hiscocks and his family

 

  • Civil Rights Era and the 14th and 15th Amendments (9/15)

    September 15, 3:00PM - 4:30PM: $10

    Civil Rights Era and the 14th and 15th Amendments 

    When talking about the Civil Rights Era, most Americans understand the basics. For example, if we ask why our country passed the civil rights legislation of the 1960’s or, why does the history of contemporary America include multiple civil rights struggles from the end of WWII until our present day, racism and other forms of discrimination are the obvious answers. So much so that some version of this answer has undoubtedly worked its way into your consciousness already. For most Americans who know anything about our political history, these have become rhetorical questions with simple and assumed answers. For our first lecture we want to fill this story in a bit by looking at some of the legal origins of civil rights.

  • Voting demographics and polarization (10/20)

    October 20, 3:00PM - 4:30PM: $10

    Voting demographics and polarization

    Next, we will question why the Civil Rights Era is far more complex when following landmark decisions of the Supreme Court. As you have probably already guessed, it will be the concept of race that will create the narrative running throughout this lecture series. In lecture #2 we will take a dramatic turn by looking at voting patterns and how these are connected to the political issues of our day including immigration, polarization, and our current presidential election.

  • The 2020 Presidential Election (11/17)

    November 17, 3:00PM - 4:30PM: $5

    The 2020 Presidential Election

    For lecture #3 we will analyze different pieces of demographic data to make sense of who won and why. Overall, we will look deeper into the manifold roles that race has played and continues to play in our political system. In the course of doing so, I hope that we will be uncovering roots rarely unearthed lying under ground well-worn.