Civic Education and the Future of American Citizenship
Beschreibung:
The Founders of this nation believed that the government they were creating required a civically educated populace. Such an education aimed to cultivate enlightened, informed, and vigilant citizens who could perpetuate and improve the nation. Unfortunately, America's contemporary youth seem to lack adequate opportunities, if not also the ability or will, to critically examine the foundations of this nation. An even larger problem is an increasing ambivalence toward education in general. Stepping into this void is a diverse group of educators, intellectuals, and businesspeople, brought together in Civic Education and the Future of American Citizenship to grapple with the issue of civic illiteracy and its consequences. The essays, edited by Elizabeth Kaufer Busch and Jonathan W. White, force us to not only reexamine the goals of civic education in America but also those of liberal education more broadly.
Lack of civic knowledge, ignorance about the U.S. Constitution, and general ambivalence about education threaten the fiber of this nation. The remedy to this malaise, advocated in various ways by a diverse group of contributors, is a well-rounded, liberal education that prepares citizens to participate in a free republic.
IntroductionElizabeth Kaufer Busch and Jonathan W. WhitePart I: Foundations of Civic and Liberal EducationChapter 1: The Inspiring Idea of the Common SchoolE. D. HirschChapter 2: Memory and Sacrifice in the Formation of Civic ConsciousnessWilfred M. McClayChapter 3: Polishing Barbarous Mores: Montesquieu on Liberalism and Civic EducationAndrea RadasanuPart II: The Changing Landscape of American Civic LifeChapter 4: American AmnesiaBruce ColeChapter 5: The Peer BubbleMark BauerleinChapter 6: Voter Beware: Responsible Voting in an Age of Political MarketingJeff Bergner and Lisa SpillerPart III: On the Ends of Liberal EducationChapter 7: Majoring in Servitude: The Liberal Arts and the Formation of CitizensJonathan YonanChapter 8: Education To What End-Vocation or Virtue?Peter A. BenolielChapter 9: "Reflection and Choice": The Liberal Arts and the Foundation of the American ExperimentJohn AgrestoAfterword: The Impoverishment of American CultureDana Gioia