Hastings mayor teaching his students about foreign policy

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - A new class at Hastings College is teaching students about war and how the next could start. The class is taught by Hastings Mayor Corey Stutte.

The centerpiece of the class is a game students play in the last week of the course. It puts the students in the shoes of world powers like Russia, China and the United States while running the countries from financial, military, and foreign relations perspectives.

Mayor Stutte said he feels his students are learning valuable lessons.

“I think that their seeing what formidable foes China and Russia are to the United States, we have seen a lot of different types of cards played, a lot of different types of scenarios played, and they’re really realizing that it’s not necessarily the US being the hegemonic power of the world right now,” Mayor Stutte said. “We’ve got some serious competition on our hands and it’s something we really have to account for.”

Students told Local4 the class has been eye opening.

“First week we started studying the US Defense strategy and stuff like that, and it really gave us a look on how the US prepares for threats and stuff like that,” Austin Hofts said. “Then we got into this game and it really shows all the situations that we could be facing at one time, and it’s been really fun.”

Another student in the class said the hands-on approach helps her better engage with the concepts of the class.

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