What is civic education?

kingsleylegacy

7 years ago

Civics derives from the French word civique, meaning citizen, and the Latin, civic, a garland of oak leaves worn about the head as a crown, given in reward of those who saved another citizen from death. Civics are the things people do affecting fellow citizens, especially when that relates to the maintenance of urban development. [1]

Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties.[2] It includes the study of civil law and civil code, and the study of government with attention to the role of citizens―as opposed to external factors―in the operation and oversight of government.[3]
Criticism of civic education

Sudbury schools contend that values, social justice and democracy must be learned through experience[4][5][6][7] as Aristotle said: "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them."[8] They adduce that for this purpose schools must encourage ethical behavior and personal responsibility. In order to achieve these goals schools must allow students the three great freedoms—freedom of choice, freedom of action and freedom to bear the results of action—that constitute personal responsibility.[9] The "strongest, political rationale" for democratic schools is that they teach "the virtues of democratic deliberation for the sake of future citizenship."[10] This type of education is often alluded to in the deliberative democracy literature as fulfilling the necessary and fundamental social and institutional changes necessary to develop a democracy that involves intensive participation in group decision making, negotiation, and social life of consequence.

Smarteli

7 years ago

Civic Education in a democracy is education
in self government. Democratic self
government means that citizens are actively
involved in their own governance; they do
not just passively accept the dictums of
others or acquiesce to the demands of
others. As Aristotle put it in his Politics (c
340 BC), "If liberty and equality, as is
thought by some, are chiefly to be found in
democracy, they will be attained when all
persons alike share in the government to
the utmost." In other words, the ideals of
democracy are most completely realized
when every member of the political
community shares in its governance.

Smashing

7 years ago

Civic education aims at learning the
competences, i.e. skills, knowledge
and attitudes, required to be an
active, democratic, responsible and
critical citizen. Its ultimate goal is to
educate the population on democratic
citizenship and make them aware of
their rights and responsibilities. There
are many subtopics connected to civic
education, such as: Intercultural
communication, Media literacy and
hate-speech online, Interreligious
communication, Functioning of EU
institutions, Political knowledge,
Critical thinking, Human rights
education, Participation in elections
and democratic decision-making,
Environmental sustainability, Citizens’
rights and duties, Global education,
etc.