Protest Reconsidered: Identifying Democratic and Civic Engagement Learning Outcomes

Using a case study approach, the authors examine the democratic and civic engagement learning outcomes of a campus protest. The conceptual framework is built on the ideas outlined in Learning Reconsidered (Keeling 2004 ) and modeled in its pragmatic follow-up, Learning Reconsidered 2 (Keeling 2006 ). Results suggest student and campus administrator actions during a campus protest support democratic aims, student development, and digital age democracy. Recommendations for campus educators are included. This study extends previous discussion on activism’s journey from detrimental to developmental (Astin 1999 ; Chambers & Phelps 1993 ; Hamrick 1998 ; Hunter 1988 ) by mapping the learning environment through the interaction of protestor and university and by incorporating new forms of activism.