The Civic Spectrum

"This Kettering Foundation report by Bernie Ronan comes at a critical time in the effort to strengthen the role of higher education in a democracy. In the last 20 years, higher education institutions have begun to pay a great deal of attention to the civic engagement of college students. Nevertheless, proponents of civic engagement in higher education are now reporting a certain sense of "drift" or of having reached a "plateau." A key issue in this impasse is the lack of consensus over whether and how civic engagement efforts should be directed toward outcomes that can be considered "political." Reinforced by signals they receive from their institutions, students may, ironically, see civic engagement as an alternative to politics, and come away from their experiences with even less confidence in their capacities as citizens. Ronan's "spectrum" approach to civic learning offers an ingenious conceptual (and strategic) solution to this problem. As a developmental framework, the civic spectrum recognizes the importance of beginning with students where they are, but also of connecting them to a robust conception of citizenship through experiences of collective decision making and cooperative action across differences that are sorely lacking in the current higher education landscape." --Kettering Foundation web site

Grade level: k, t.

An investigation of how governments, organizations, and groups use the Internet to promote civic and political engagement among young people. There has been widespread concern in contemporary Western societies about declining engagement in civic life; people are less inclined to vote, to join political parties, to campaign for social causes, or to trust political processes. Young people in particular are frequently described as alienated or apathetic. Some have looked optimistically to new media—and particularly the Internet—as a means of revitalizing civic life and democracy. Governments, political parties, charities, NGOs, activists, religious and ethnic groups, and grassroots organizations have created a range of youth-oriented websites that encourage widely divergent forms of civic engagement and use varying degrees of interactivity. But are young people really apathetic and lacking in motivation? Does the Internet have the power to re-engage those disenchanted with politics and civic life? Based on a major research project funded by the European Commission, this book attempts to understand the role of the Internet in promoting young people's participation. Examples are drawn from Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom—countries offering contrasting political systems and cultural contexts. The book also addresses broader questions about the meaning of civic engagement, the nature of new forms of participation, and their implications for the future of civic life.

Concepts of civic learning and democratic engagement are central to the purpose of higher education, especially for community colleges. This volume: establishes a philosophical framework for civic learning and democratic engagement in community colleges, details several approaches to enhancing the civic capacities of students in these institutions, provides best practice examples and lessons learned from practitioners in the field, and addresses some of the sticky issues such as: What are the outcomes of civic learning programs and practices? How might civic competencies transfer to other settings? Is there a connection between civic skills and those valued in the workplace? This is the 173rd volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

American democracy is in many ways more vital than ever before. Advocacy groups proliferate and formerly marginalized groups enjoy new opportunities. But worrisome trends exist. Millions of Americans are drawing back from involvements with community affairs and politics. Voters stay home; public officials grapple with distrust or indifference; and people are less likely to cooperate on behalf of shared goals. Observers across the spectrum of opinion agree that it is vital to determine what is happening and why—so that Americans can take well-informed, effective steps to revitalize our national community. The book opens with an eagle-eye look at the roots of America's special patterns of civic engagement, examining the ways social groups and government and electoral politics have influenced each other. Other chapters examine the impact of advocacy groups and socioeconomic inequalities on democratic processes and probe the influence of long-term social and cultural changes on voluntary associations and civic participation. The book concludes by asking why social liberation has been accompanied by new inequalities and the erosion of many important forms of citizen leverage and participation. Coming together from several disciplines, contributors include Jeffrey M. Berry, Henry E. Brady, John Brehm, Steven Brint, Elisabeth S. Clemens, Peter Dobkin Hall, Wendy M. Rahn, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba, and Robert Wuthnow. Copublished with the Russell Sage Foundation

This book introduces the concept of 'act of citizenship' and in doing so, re-orients the study of what it means to be a citizen. Isin and Nielsen show that an 'act of citizenship' is the event through which subjects constitute themselves as citizens. They claim that such an act involves both responsibility and answerability, but is ultimately irreducible to either. This study of citizenship is truly interdisciplinary, drawing not only on new developments in politics, sociology, geography and anthropology, but also on psychoanalysis, philosophy and history. Ranging from Antigone and Socrates in the ancient world to checkpoints, euthanasia and flash mobs in the modern one, the 'acts' and chapters here build up a dynamic and wide-ranging picture. Acts of Citizenship provides important new insights for all those concerned with the relationship between individuals, groups and polities.

Does Scotland have a problem with racism? With its 'civic nationalism' and 'welcoming' attitude towards migrants and refugees, Scotland is understood to be relatively free of structural and institutional racism. As the contributors to this book show, such generalisations fail to withstand serious investigation. Their research into the historical record and contemporary reality tells a very different story. Opening up a debate on a subject that has been shut down for too long, No Problem Here gathers together the views of academics, activists and anti-racism campaigners who argue that it is vital that the issue of racism be brought into the centre of public discourse. Scotland's role in maintaining and extending slavery across the British Empire is finally beginning to receive the attention it deserves. Yet there is much more that needs to be said about racism in Scotland today.

"By nearly every measure, Americans are less engaged in their communities and political activity than generations past.” So write the editors of this volume, who survey the current practices and history of citizenship education in the United States. They argue that the current period of “creative destruction”—when schools are closing and opening in response to reform mandates—is an ideal time to take an in-depth look at how successful strategies and programs promote civic education and good citizenship. Making Civics Count offers research-based insights into what diverse students and teachers know and do as civic actors, and proposes a blueprint for civic education for a new generation that is both practical and visionary.

This innovative book addresses the leadership and management challenges of maximising the contribution of universities to civil society both locally and globally. It does this by developing a model of the civic university as an academic concept, drawing out practical lessons for university management on how to embed civic engagement in the heartland of the university. To this end, the contributors compare experiences and reports on a developmental process in eight institutions: University College London and Newcastle University in the UK, Amsterdam and Groningen Universities in the Netherlands, Aalto and Tampere Universities in Finland and Trinity College Dublin and Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland. It will be of interest to academics of politics, public policy and management studies, as well as having relevance to policymakers in the field.

In its golden age, American radio both entertained and also fostered programs meant to produce self-governing and opinion-forming individuals, promoting openness to change and tolerance of diversity, familiarity with classical music, and knowledge of world affairs. As author David Goodman argues, the ambitions of radio's golden age have strong significance today as evidence that media regulation in the public interest can have significant and often positive effects.