Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines

For a democracy to function effectively, its citizens must participate. Furthermore, these same citizens must deliberate effectively, engage with one another, and arrive at workable compromises. Although these skills are critical for a vibrant society, the means to learn and develop them--civic engagement education--is lacking in American education today. Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines evaluates the goals, challenges, and rewards of integrating civic education into the curriculum, highlighting best practices across disciplines and campuses.

Editors Elizabeth C. Matto, Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Elizabeth A. Bennion, and Dick Simpson have gathered a diverse group of 38 contributors who approach civic engagement education from multiple disciplines and perspectives. The result is a book that is nuanced, far reaching, and practical for all educators. The book explains how campuses can promote high quality education for civic engagement, providing a wealth of examples of successful practices, techniques, and assessment strategies.

The first section lays a foundation for successful civic engagement education, discussing the optimum classroom and campus environment, the government's role in civic education, and the history of civic education, particularly in political science. The next section explores the purpose and practice of civic education as and the importance of integrating such education across the disciplines, including the arts, engineering, and general education. Finally, the last section moves beyond the classroom to explore additional ways to expand civic engagement across the disciplines and throughout campus life. The chapters argue that politics effects every person and profession; therefore, educating students of all disciplines will prepare them to successful engage in their communities throughout their lives and careers.

As democracies and societies become increasingly complex, education for civic engagement becomes ever more critical. It should not be confined to government or civics classes, but should be available to all students in all areas of study. Civic engagement education can provide students with the knowledge, skills, values, and confidence they need to be active, engaged citizens who make a meaningful difference in their communities.

About the Author
Matto, Elizabeth C.: - Elizabeth C. Matto is an assistant research professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the director of the Institute's Center for Youth Political Participation (CYPP). She earned her doctorate in American politics at George Washington University and, prior to her work at Eagleton, taught a variety of courses at Princeton University, Temple University, and George Washington University. As director of CYPP, Matto leads research as well as educational and public service efforts designed to encourage and support the political learning of high school and college students and civic action among young adults. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Craig L. Brians Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Mentorship by the American Political Science Association.McCartney, Alison Rios Millett: - Alison Rios Millett McCartney is professor of political science and faculty director of the Honors College at Towson University outside of Baltimore, Maryland. She contributed to and coedited another volume on this topic, Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen, with Elizabeth A. Bennion and Dick Simpson in 2013 and has published other work connecting civic engagement education and international relations in the Journal of Political Science Education. McCartney is also very involved in undergraduate research and teaching international negotiation simulations. She has received several teaching awards including the University of Maryland System Regents' Award for Mentoring, the Maryland-DC Campus Compact Award for Service-Learning Scholarship, and the Towson University Service-Learning Faculty Member Award. She received her BA from Syracuse University and her masters and PhD from the University of Virginia.Bennion, Elizabeth a.: - Elizabeth A. Bennion is a professor of political science at Indiana University South Bend (IUSB). In addition to teaching American politics courses, Bennion is the founding director of IUSB's American Democracy Project and host of WNIT's live weekly television program Politically Speaking. In these capacities she moderates political discussions, public issue forums, and candidate debates for local, state, and national candidates. Bennion has won numerous (national, state, and local) awards for her teaching and service, and has published widely in academic books, journals, and newsletters. Her teaching, research, and service all promote civic education and engagement. She is currently working on a national survey of student leaders, a study of youth political ambition, and a multicampus voter registration field experiment. Bennion coedited the previous APSA book Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen. She lives in South Bend with her husband and four children.