Civic Education in the Twenty-First Century

Michael T. Rogers; Donald M. Gooch

doi:10.5771/9780739193501

Summary

Imagine an America where politicians, governmental institutions, schools, new technologies, and interest groups work together to promote informed, engaged citizens. Civic Education in the Twenty-First Century brings together scholars from various disciplines to show how such a United States is possible today. Inspired by Alexis de Tocqueville’s analysis of American democracy in the early 1800s, this edited volume represents a multidimensional evaluation of civic education in its new and varied forms. While some lament a civics crisis in America today, Civic Education in the Twenty-First Century raises hope that we can have an informed and active citizenry. We find the activities of a number of politicians, government institutions, schools and interest groups as promising developments in the struggle to educate and engage Americans in their democracy. New technologies and new innovations in civic education have laid the foundation for a revitalized American civic ecology. With Civic Education in the Twenty-First Century, we call for the United States to make these practices less isolated and more common throughout the county.

The volume is broken into three major sections. First there are four chapters exploring the history and philosophical debates about civic education, particularly with respect to its role in America’s educational institutions. Then, the second section provides seven groundbreaking inquiries into how politicians and political institutions can promote civic education and engagement through their routine operations. As some examples, this section explores how politicians through campaigns and judiciaries through community programs enhance civic knowledge and encourage civic engagement. This section also explores how new technologies like the Internet and social media are increasingly used by government institutions and other entities to encourage a more politically informed and engaged citizenry. Finally, the third section contains six chapters that explore programs and practices in higher education that are enhancing civic education, engagement and our knowledge of them. From the virtual civics campus of Fort Hayes State to citizens’ academies throughout the country, this section shows the possibilities for schools today to once again be civics actors and promoters.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2015
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7391-9349-5
ISBN-Online: 978-0-7391-9350-1
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 498
Product type: Edited Book

1. Contents No access
2. Introduction. A Tocqueville-inspired Assessment of America’s Twenty-First-Century Civic Ecology No access
1. Chapter One. A Meta-history of Formal Civic Education: An Episodic History to Be Repeated? No access
2. Chapter Two. It Can Work: The Surprisingly Positive Prospects for Effective Civic Education No access
3. Chapter Three. The Irony of Civic Education in the United States No access
4. Chapter Four. Models of Civic Education in America No access
1. 1. Chapter Five. The Role of Congressional Outreach in Civic Engagement: An Examination of Legislator Websites No access
  2. Chapter Six. Encouraging Civic Participation through Twitter during (and after) the 2012 Election No access
  3. Chapter Seven. Engagement through the Oval Office: Presidential Rhetoric as Civic Education No access
2. 1. Chapter Eight. An Examination of Judicial Civic Education and Community Outreach Efforts No access
  2. Chapter Nine. The Civically Oriented Activities of Big City Mayors: The View from Website Press Releases No access
  3. Chapter Ten. Encouraging Civic Participation of Citizens through County Websites: A Case Study of Arkansas No access
3. 1. Chapter Eleven. Interest Groups, Twitter, and Civic Education No access
1. 1. Chapter Twelve. Dude, Where’s the Civic Engagement? The Paradoxical Effect of Civic Education on the Probability of Civic Participation* No access
  2. Chapter Thirteen. Educating Students about the National Debt: A Multiyear Study of Civic Education in the University Core Curriculum No access
  3. Chapter Fourteen. Moving Civic Education Research Forward: The Inter-Campus Consortium for SoTL Research No access
2. 1. Chapter Fifteen. Democratizing Information: Web 2.0 Tools at Fort Hays State University No access
  2. Chapter Sixteen. Teaching Local: Civic Engagement & Local Government No access
  3. Chapter Seventeen. Partnering with Your Local PBS Station to Promote Civic and Political Engagement No access
Conclusion. The Dimensions of Civic Education in the Twenty-first Century: A Path Forward to Better Theory, Analysis, and Practice No access Pages 455 - 488
Index No access Pages 489 - 498