Language And Civil Society Civic Education E-Journal

LANGUAGE & CIVIL SOCIETYCIVIC EDUCATION E-JOURNALPREFACEThe Civic Education volume is designed specifically for language teachers who are turning toward contentbased instruction to promote content learning and language learning in their classes. Through theexploration of topics related to civic education, language teachers can help their students master Englishand simultaneously become more knowledgeable citizens of the world. The combination of improvedlanguage skills and increased knowledge can enhance students' studies, work, and ability to become moreactive and conscientious participants in their communities.The primary author for this volume is Dr. Fredricka Stoller.Fredricka L. Stoller is Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona,where she teaches in the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and Applied Linguistics graduateprograms. Her professional interests include content-based instruction, language teaching methodology,curriculum design, materials development, and program administration. She has published numerousarticles in the English Teaching Forum and has published in the TESOL Journal, Applied Linguistics, andApplied Language Learning. She co-edited a volume entitled A Handbook for Language ProgramAdministrators (with Alta Book Center) and co-authored a reading text for developing readers entitledJavier Arrives in the US (Prentice Hall Regents). She has trained EFL teachers and language programadministrators in many parts of the world including Bolivia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico,Morocco, Panama, Poland, Slokavia, and Tunisia. She is an active member of international TESOL (Teachersof English to Speakers of Other Languages).englishprograms.state.gov1Menu

TABLE OF CONTENTSCIVIC EDUCATION VOLUMEChapter1Rights of the IndividualChapter 2Individual Freedoms: Freedom of ExpressionChapter 3Individual Freedoms: Freedom of the PressChapter 4Individual Responsibilities and CitizenshipChapter 5Responsibilities of the GovernmentChapter 6Rules and LawsChapter 7Societal Dilemmas: Finding a BalanceChapter 8Societal Dilemmas: Gains and LossesChapter 9Cultural PluralismChapter 10Building a Civil Society: Breaking Down StereotypesInternet aryMenu

INTRODUCTIONThe Civic Education volume has been created to provide language teachers with content resources thatmight otherwise be difficult to obtain. Each chapter of the volume will provide teachers with resources thatthey can use to create content-based lessons related to civic education, a topic which has great potential forthe language classroom because of its relevance to the daily lives of students around the world. Eachchapter will highlight one theme related to civic education and will equip teachers with relevantbackground information, interactive and communicative classroom activities, and a list of related resourcesthat will allow them to extend and expand the lesson further, if so desired.ASPECTS OF CIVIC EDUCATION THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO LANGUAGECLASSROOMS AS MEANINGFUL CONTENTIn a field as broad as Civic Education, topic selection is challenging. Because civic education can beinterpreted in many different ways, language teachers have many options to choose from for course designand thematic-unit development. Civic education often includes the study of political institutions and theirvalues, commitments, assumptions, and challenges. For example, a content-based unit emphasizingpolitical institutions could explore different styles of government, the diverse responsibilities ofgovernment, governments of the past, or governments of the present. In such settings, students could studythe government of their own country or the governments of other countries. Or they could compare andcontrast different forms of government, all the while developing their language skills.Civic education can also include "a study of the purpose of government, the nature of law, the way privatebehavior affects the public order and the political system, and the international context of politics" (Quigley& Bahmueller, 1991, p. 3). In such classrooms, teachers can create lessons that explore why people formgovernments, how governments are formed, why governments enforce laws, and how different types oflaws shape society. Related to these topics are content-based lessons on elections and the role informed(and not-so-informed) citizens play in that process.Civic education can also focus on geography, symbols associated with different countries and governments(e.g., flags, national anthems, historical sites, buildings, monuments), and more provocative topics such asthe nature of propaganda, the role of the press, civil disobedience, public life, diversity, global issues,tolerance, negotiation, war and peace, human rights, and societal dilemmas (e.g., finding a balance betweenindividual beliefs and majority rule, individual rights and public safety, power of the people and power ofthe government).In democratic societies, civic education emphasizes civic participation and the skills necessary for informedand responsible citizenship. It also explores the political process with an eye toward understanding how itpromotes the rights and responsibilities of the individual and the responsibilities of government. In suchsettings, civic education seeks to reinforce values such as liberty, equality, justice, and the common good(Quigley & Bahmueller, 1991).englishprograms.state.gov3Menu

CHAPTER 1RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUALBy Fredricka L. StollerThe contemporary concept of individual rights is "that all persons, by virtue of their membership inthe human species, have certain rights" (Quigley & Bahmueller, 1991, p. 613). Rights of the Individualhas been selected as the theme for the first chapter of the Civic Education volume because it ispertinent, provocative, and of interest to students worldwide. While exploring aspects of human rights,students can learn the vocabulary and concepts associated with the topic. While improving their languageskills, students can develop an understanding of the complexities of individual rights and their role in civilsocieties. Because the topic is so broad, teachers have the option of using it in a variety of ways: They cancreate a single, stand-alone lesson on one aspect of the topic; they can design a series of connected lessonsthat explore the topic in more detail; or they can develop a thematic unit that examines the topic from avariety of perspectives over a longer period of time. The lesson plan ideas presented here are meant toserve as a starting point for teachers interested in introducing this topic to their students.BACKGROUND INFORMATIONIn December 1998, the United Nations marked the 50th anniversary of the world’s most comprehensivehuman rights declaration: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR was approved bythe United Nations General Assembly, with no dissenting votes, on December 10, 1948. The thirty articlesof the UDHR were expected to serve as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.”The signers of the UDHR emphasized the need for all people and all nations to promote respect for therights and freedoms specified in the document through education. As a whole, the document was meant torecognize the inherent dignity and equal rights of all human beings. In essence, the documentrepresented the basic needs, hopes, and wishes of men and women around the world. A review of the thirtyarticles of the UDHR (a simplified version is included below) reveals a commitment to education, health,work, and culture as well as legal and political rights:Article 1: Right to equalityArticle 2: Freedom from discriminationArticle 3: Right to life, liberty, and safetyArticle 4: Freedom from slaveryArticle 5: Freedom from torture and cruel, inhumane punishmentArticle 6: Right to be protected by the lawArticle 7: Right to be treated in the same way as others by the lawArticle 8: Right to legal aid if rights are not respectedArticle 9: No arbitrary arrest, prison, or exileArticle 10: Right to a public and fair trialArticle 11: Right to be considered innocent until proven guiltyArticle 12: Right to privacy and protectionArticle 13: Right to move within one’s country and to leave/return to it when one wishesArticle 14: Right to protection in another country if one’s rights are violated in one’s own countryArticle 15: Right to be a citizen of one’s own country or to become a citizen of another countryenglishprograms.state.gov4Menu

Article 16: Right to marriage and familyArticle 17: Right to own propertyArticle 18: Freedom of religionArticle 19: Freedom of opinion and speech; freedom to give and receive informationArticle 20: Right to organize meetingsArticle 21: Right to participate in government and in free electionsArticle 22: Right to personal development by taking part in the economic, social, and cultural life ofthe countryArticle 23: Right to work for fair pay and to join labor unions. Right for women to receive pay equalto men’s payArticle 24: Right to paid holidays and reasonable work hoursArticle 25: Right to food, housing, and medical careArticle 26: Right to an educationArticle 27: Right to participate in the cultural life of one’s communityArticle 28: Right to a social and international order that protects all these rightsArticle 29: Community duties are necessary for free and full development of peopleArticle 30: Right to all these freedoms without interference by government or individualsThe thirty articles of the UDHR were written and agreed upon by representatives of many different nations,nations with different political systems and different populations. The United Nations was not the firstorganization to promote respect for human rights. In 1791, for example, the Constitution of the UnitedStates of America was amended to include a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights, in actuality the first tenamendments to the U.S. Constitution, was created to protect the basic rights of U.S. citizens. As an example,the first amendment protects individuals from governmental interference by means of freedom of speech,press, assembly, and religion. Amendments five to eight define and protect specific rights of individualsaccused of crimes or involved in disputes under law; more specifically, the sixth and seventh amendmentsguarantee an individual’s right to a lawyer and a trial by jury.Since the passage of the Bill of Rights in the late 1700s, an additional 17 amendments have been added tothe U.S. Constitution. For example, slavery was outlawed in 1865 with the 13th amendment; women weregranted the right to vote in 1920 with the 19th amendment; and in 1971, the minimum voting age in theU.S. became 18 with the passage of the 26th amendment.Other nations have passed similar declarations to recognize and protect individual rights. Sadly, manypeople around the world find themselves living in environments without the rights set forth in the UDHRsome fifty years ago.englishprograms.state.gov5Menu