EWING -- Every four years since 1996, The College of New Jersey professor David Blake has taught an elective literature course called "The Art of Politics."
Blake asks his students to consume political-based books and movies to discuss in the context of current events. This year, more than most, parallels between art and reality are overflowing, he said.
In one class, students discussed the 1992 film "Bob Roberts," in which a celebrity turned rebel conservative runs for office. In another, they dissected the novel "The Plot Against America," a book that predicts what would have happened if political outsider Charles Lindbergh won the 1940 presidential election.
"This year has been interesting because we are kind of searching for vocabulary to grapple with what we are seeing," Blake said. "There have been certain texts that I frequently teach that this year take on a new resonance."
Professor David Blake teacher a literature course at The College of New Jersey called 'The Art of Politics." (Courtesy of Sarah Ratner, The College of New Jersey)
As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaign for the presidency in a race sure to rewrite American history books, colleges in New Jersey and across the country are tapping into the 2016 election to teach courses in music, literature, journalism, history, and, of course, politics.
At Rider University, there's "The Making of a President 2016," a communications course that analyzes how the candidates disseminate their message to voters.
Princeton University offers a course on politics and the media that asks students to analyze print, television, and online reporting on the campaigns.
And, at Montclair State University, students are learning about politics first hand by working on campaigns for local and state office in a course taught by national political commentator Brigid Harrison. A handful students in Harrison's class are even working for the Trump and Clinton campaigns, she said.
The courses in New Jersey are just a sampling of how colleges nationwide are bringing the election to the classroom.
The University of Nevada has a class on presidential debates, Hood College in Maryland offers an election year course on "who's telling the truth," and Penn State created a one-credit course simply called "Trump." For two hours every week, students reflect on the Republican candidate's rise to prominence.
"It is an extraordinary time," Harrison said of the teaching material coming out of the 2016 election. "We tend to say it every four years, but this campaign is generating high levels of interest and passion."
At TCNJ, Blake's course brings students together twice a week for wide-ranging discussions about the books and movies they were assigned and how they relate to past and present politicians.
Discussion about the "Bob Roberts" movie, which features a young Jack Black as an impressionable Roberts supporter, led to a dialogue about political fandom and how it applies to candidates ranging from Bernie Sanders to John F. Kennedy.
"You may vote for them just because you like them and never really get into their politics at all," said James Loewen, a junior English major from Somerville.
When Blake shifted the conversation to satire, students scrutinized the underlying message of "Saturday Night Live" skits, which, they agreed, tend to favor Democratic candidates like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The show's depictions have enough influence to sway public perception, students said.
"Every time someone talks about Sarah Palin, I do immediately think of Tina Fey," said Rebecca Colnes, a sophomore sociology major from Marlton. "I thoroughly just enjoyed those sketches, so from now on I am going to always associate the two with each other."
Of course, students spend plenty of time talking about the election outside of the classroom, too, Loewen said. But the course forces students to focus on specific topics and consider opinions they might otherwise not hear, he said
"It's a lot less opinion-based, and it's a lot more fact-based," Loewen said. "So I feel like I am getting a lot out of it."
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.