Questions considered are: What are the modal political beliefs and attitudes of junior high school students? What are their capabilities for political learning and what suggestions for improving instruction can be derived from studies of their political learning? (Author/VW)

This ERIC Digest outlines what is meant by the phrase human rights and the origin of the concept. It also traces the delineation of the concept of human rights from the 17th century antecedent of "natural rights" to its eventual incarnation as inherent political or personal rights, such as freedom of speech, press, assembly, and…

To preserve and protect the civic values and principles of the Constitution, educators must develop in students a deeper understanding of and a commitment to these values. To do this, educators should confront students with cases in history and current events involving fundamental paradoxes of U.S. constitutional government. Students should be…

Standards for teaching, learning, and assessing civics or democratic citizenship should emphasize two centrally important concepts: (1) constitutionalism; and (2) human rights. If students in schools and citizens in the polity fail to know, value, and act in terms of these concepts, then their prospects for building and maintaining liberal…

Based on an address delivered at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association (Washington, D.C., September 7, 1968). A comment on the article by Robert E. Cleary is included.

This textbook is designed to increase political knowledge and sophistication about the U.S. political system. The volume consisting of five units tries to capture the vitality and drama of politics through the use of cases that describe the political activities of typical citizens and political leaders. Simulations, games, political attitude…

This teacher's guide corresponds to the textbook "American Political Behavior" and provides resource materials and teaching suggestions. There is a lesson plan for each lesson in the course. The textbook tries to capture the vitality and drama of politics through the use of cases that describe the political activities of typical citizens…

The core civic ideas that helped form a consensus around a United States Constitution in 1787 are the seeds that produce the civic culture of the United States today. Constitutionalism, republicanism, communitarianism, and classical liberalism were related ideas at the center of U.S. civic culture in the 1780s. Two hundred years later, with some…

Places the recent democratic Latvian elections in the context of that country's historic oppression by the Soviet Union, its resulting demographic character, and the emergence of pragmatic political parties. Analyzes the issues, parties, and coalitions that resulted in Grantis Ulmanis' recent victories. Prospects for continuing democracy appear…

This ERIC Digest on teaching about the Bill of Rights in the schools examines the status, the deficiencies, and means to improve citizenship education. Currently, the Bill of Rights is taught at least four times during the elementary and secondary grades. Constitutional rights and liberties are stressed in K-12 curriculum goals for social studies…

Charts the intellectual history of competing conceptions of national unity, diversity, and ethnic identity. Explicates three models: monolithic integration (monocultural assimilation of diversity), pluralistic preservation (diversity and unity as equal values), and pluralistic integration (stressing consensus about core civic values while…

Democracy entails the concept of orderly liberty, a concept that implies both obedience and constructive skepticism. Since teaching youngsters to be democratic citizens is a central concern of civic education, we must be concerned about whether our youth acquire this concept of orderly liberty. Studies indicate that American youth tend to value…

The interactions of individuality and community in a democratic republic have remained the great object of civic inquiries, the perplexing civic problem throughout the more than 200 years of U.S. constitutional history. This paper argues that this inquiry should be at the center of civic education today. Five recommendations for civic educators to…