Georgetown University

U.S. Political Systems- Fall 2023

This course provides students with a broad understanding of the political system in the United States. It is one of the four introductory courses in the Department of Government. The goal of the class is to train students both as citizens and as scholars. As citizens, students will learn the shared history of U.S. politics and be able to think critically about how the system has succeeded and failed. As scholars, students will be introduced to the theoretical and analytical tools of political science as applied to American government.

University of Oklahoma

Making Public Policy- Fall 2020

This course introduces the important components, relevant concepts, and dominant theories of the policymaking process in the United States. The course will focus primarily on the federal level, but policymaking at the state and local levels will also be discussed when appropriate. Full syllabus is available here: Rackey- MPP Syllabus

Reviews:

  • “Loved the projects- super engaging and a great application of knowledge learned. And LOVED the guest speakers and podcasts!”

  • “I learned a significant amount of new information in this class. The projects were a lot of fun to complete as JD essentially lets you choose your own topic. He was extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter which made it very easy to ask questions. I would definitely take another class from him.”

Media, Mapping and Power: Popular Culture in a Geopolitical World- Spring 2019

This course was co-taught with Dr. Darren Purcell from OU’s Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sustainability. This course combines human geography and political science takes on popular culture by examining several genres of popular culture: music, television, stand-up humor and film. Full syllabus is available here: Rackey & Purcell-MMP Syllabus

Reviews:

  • “Having both JD and Dr. Purcell leading this class worked very well. They were able to bounce ideas off of each other and if something wasn't making sense, the other would be able to explain it in another way. Having the political science and geography backgrounds worked well for this class. The professors were always open to helping with your projects and wanted to provide feedback.”

  • “Really enjoyed it, one of the best classes I’ve taken in college. Really interesting and thorough discussions.”

Introduction to American Federal Government

This course is the introduction to U.S. politics and government that all students at OU must take in order to graduate. My own particular goal in the course is to give students the tools and resources necessary for them to be able to interact with government and be fully engaged citizens. Full syllabus is available here: Rackey-AmGov Syllabus

In Person- Summer 2018, Summer 2021

Reviews:

  • “The class activities everyday were the best part of the class because they got everyone involved in what we were talking about.”

  • “Very informative and well-laid out for a four-week course. The instructor was very knowledgeable and helpful about explaining assignments and giving additional sources for further education.”

  • “It was excellent and I would take it again.”

Online- May 2019, May 2020, Summer 2020, Winter 2020

Reviews:

  • “Mr. Rackey was wonderful and I liked how he would get involved and post on the discussion boards to promote deeper thinking.”

  • “The instructor provides us with great resources to help us learn very well. Overall, this is an amazing course and the instructor made it very organized and very easy for students to navigate through different useful materials.”