Civic Education Teacher Development
Article: “Educate to unify: The urgent need for better civic education in our dangerously divided nation”
Link to article Link to US Civitas Facebook Discussion Thread
Blog Post
A Statement on Civility and Civil Discourse
Last week, in one of our large 120-student sections, a student was threatened by another student after class for something she had said in class. She did not see the student’s face, but she heard him say “You better watch what you say, or I’ll shoot you.” Or something like Read more…
Blog Post
The Birthright Citizenship Controversy
I was going to write something more substantial here about the Birthright Citizenship controversy, but I don’t have time (today at least). But a quick overview of the legal landscape with good links is provided by Eugene Volokh here and by Adam Liptak here Link to US Civitas Facebook Discussion Read more…
Participation & Elections
2018 Election in Graphs
This could be useful for talking about the election results. These are 26 charts compiled by (GWU professor) John Sides. Link to US Civitas Facebook Thread
Service Learning
Want to Help? Reach Out to Demonstrate You Genuinely Care
With the adaptive learning system, I now receive lists of students falling under one of three categories: high engagement/low performance; low engagement/low performance; low engagement/high performance. The idea is that each of these categories of students faces different challenges and potentially can benefit from different kinds of interventions. I will Read more…
Civic Education Teacher Development
“Civic Studies” as a New Academic Field
I was at the University of Maryland when the movement toward “Civic Studies” was launched there by three of my professors / mentors–Karol Soltan, Peter Levine, and Stephen Elkin–as well as Elinor Ostrom, Harry Boyte, Jane Mansbridge, and Rogers Smith. The idea was fairly raw at the time, but it Read more…
Blog Post
My Musings on the Founders’ Expectations, Voting Behavior, and “Identity Politics”
This Economist article offers an interesting analysis, further confirming the extent to which social group identities are the proper unit of analysis in understanding American politics today. This could provoke a lot of discussion, but I want to respond to the opening sentence in that article. I’m doing this because Read more…
Discussion Prompts & Activities
Article: Trump backers’ alarming reliance on hoax and conspiracy theory websites, in 1 chart
This might be something good to discuss when covering chapters on Public Opinion and the Media. Link to article Link to US Civitas Facebook Discussion Thread
Civil Liberties
Video/Discussion Prompt: Does ‘freedom of expression’ go too far?
I think this could be useful for generating discussion about the freedom of expression. Do we really have a right to say whatever mean and hateful things we want to others? If, even as he seems to admit, we don’t have a moral right to do so, then why should Read more…
Articles & Posts
A useful case study for discussing civil liberties: Nurse refuses blood test on unconscious patient; gets cuffed
This incident can be used to illustrate a lot of core concepts, including government use of force; rule of law / limited government / constitutional government / securing rights; separation of powers; and the Fourth Amendment. Link to article Link to US Civitas Facebook Discussion Thread
Benefits of Democracy
The purpose of government as articulated in Obama’s Inauguration Day letter to Trump
I think the entire letter would be useful when teaching the Presidency (e.g., the awesome responsibility of the office and the difference between the office and the person of the President), but I especially like the third point made by President Obama as a way to talk about fundamental principles Read more…
Articles & Posts
Blog Post: Waltzing towards the 2020 census: the need for bipartisan public action
Here is non-partisan issue we can encourage our students to take action on. Congress is currently not fulfilling its constitutional duty to prepare for the 2020 census. BTW, this blog, which is based on Cynthia and Sanford Levinson’s book “Fault Lines in the Constitution,” is a wonderful resource for anyone Read more…