There have been calls from across the political spectrum for a renewal of citizenship education and civics at every level of learning. This course is intended as a response to that call for the Ithaca home/unschooling community. Using the fall midterm elections as a teachable moment, we will spend the first half of the course exploring the basic structure, function, and history of U.S. and New York State government and governance. The second half of the semester will focus on civic engagement on local level, including an exploration of local institutions of government/governance and a service and/or shadowing assignment in the community. Students will be expected to read the news, read a variety of texts related to civics and citizenship (including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution), and complete both informal reflective writing and at least two more formal written assignments each half of the course.
Instructor: Michael Smith
Instructor Bio: Michael Smith teaches history and environmental studies at Ithaca College. He is co-editor of the book Citizenship Across the Curriculum, and has made citizenship education a central part of his teaching.
Required Materials: pen or pencil; notebook and folder or looseleaf notebook
TEEN DAY Ithaca 