Being a Citizen

Presidential Election Year Special Edition!

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 presidential elections as a teachable moment, we will spend the first half of the course exploring both the history of presidential elections in the U.S. and the basic structure, function, and history of U.S government and governance. The second half of the year will focus on state and local government, 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), keep a presidential campaign journal, and complete both informal reflective writing and at least two more formal written assignments each half of the course. For the history of presidential elections portion of the course we will be drawing from the Project Looksharp curriculum, that explores both history and media literacy.

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; two notebooks, one for journaling and one for notetaking in class and while reading; and a folder