Civic Education
Gordon Gee in The Grace Adams Tanner Lecture in Human Values on April 28, 1999 mandates that the modern university "must provide the moral, intellectual, social cultural, and emotional framework into which [students] can properly place the pieces of the puzzle of life. We [the university] must help our students accommodate not only their hopes and aspirations, but also the inevitable fears, disillusionment, the desperate moral dilemmas, the guilt, the anger, and the questions of conscience which are part of every life. We must help them channel the power of the individual into strengthening the community." Gee speaks about an obligation of the university to prepare her students for life as members of a greater community. He places inherent value on the strength of community and assigns, as do the two authors quoted, a "moral responsibility" on contemporary universities to enable each student to contribute to this strength.
Like Gee, William James talks about the "action of innumerable imitative individuals upon each other." Both Gee and James believe that education is not an individual search for self or righteousness or belonging. This process is not one about receiving wealth or fame. It is a process about learning to give. It is a process about acquiring the knowledge necessary to strengthen the community in the ways you feel are right.
My own experience at Brown is one that has led me to internalize many of these same values. When I first arrived at Brown, I asked myself where I would fit here; what was it that I was supposed to do? I took advantage of Brown's liberal curriculum and sought the perfect concentration for me. When I settled on Political Science, I asked myself what I wanted to DO with that degree. Over the course of my Junior year, the answer simply emerged. I became interested in education and finally found the perfect field for my interest: Civic Education. I plan to write my honors thesis next year with professors Tomasi and Kaestle on civic education. The question I ask myself now, is not what can I do with Civic Education, but rather, how can I use my academic work to enhance the educational experience for all American children.
In contemporary debates over civic education theory, the question is often posed: how can an Aristotelian, republican notion of cultivating citizens fit into a modern liberal democracy?
On the national civics assessment, “two-thirds of 12th graders scored below ‘proficient’…and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation” (O’Connor and Romer 4). The information provided clarifies just how little students know about democracy. Without education on the subject, they are unaware as to how their government contribution is beneficial and why it is needed in the first place. The students, because of their lack of understanding, therefore choose to not take part in their government and fail to carry out their duties as a citizen. The authors provide more research that shows “the better people understand our history and system of government, the more likely they are to vote and participate in the civic life” (O’Connor and Romer 8).
From the beginning of humankind, people have constantly had to deal with inner battles. Many of these issues cease to exist as time goes on, while new ones arise to take their place. There is one issue, however, that has remained consistent throughout time – morality. For centuries, humans have fought against the outside world and themselves to keep their morals properly aligned. The issue of morality is so dominant that it is still plays a vital role in today’s society. This can be seen in wars, law systems, codes of conduct, and religious texts. An example of a religious text where this can be seen is in pages 185 - 188 of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna, also referred to as “The Blessed One”, guides Arjuna through his inner struggles between
The story of the great flood is probably the most popular story that has survived for thousands of years and is still being retold today. It is most commonly related within the context of Judeo-Christian tradition. In the Holy Bible, the book of Genesis uses the flood as a symbol of God's wrath as well as His hope that the human race can maintain peace and achieve everlasting salvation. The tale of Noah's Ark begins with God's expression of dismay as to the degenerate state of the human race at the time. People were behaving wickedly and sinfully and God decided that a genetic cleansing was necessary. He spared only Noah and his family, along with two of every type of animal; one male and one female. The other most popular flood story is found in the Epic of Gilgamish. In this text, the gods have decided to destroy everything on earth by creating a great flood. The only survivor is a man named Utnapishtim, spared because he is the god Ea's favorite human.
The nation has seen a rebirth of many of the Vietnam-era values in today’s students. Protests, mostly in opposition to the war in Iraq, have become frequent events on college campuses. Student organizations advocating equal rights for women, racial minorities and the gay community have made their voice heard in state and federal legislatures. Perhaps there is some truth to the view that college students are a very liberal group that tends to become more liberal as they approach graduation.
Despite the time difference both stories were written, The Flood of Gilgamesh and The Story of Noah and the Flood are more similar than they are different. Gilgamesh was written in 2000 BC whereas Noah was written much later in 400 BC. The Story of Noah takes its inspiration from Gilgamesh, however it earned more recognition because of its Biblical affiliation. The summary of both tales conclude with a relatively symmetrical moral, however Gilgamesh has been believed to have less sensitivity. There are small details in both stories that differ from each other, but in retrospect they preach the same morals.
People’s different values and morals play a role in defining what they believe. Many people find homosexuality to be not natural, and it goes against many people’s views. However, there is also a lot of people who argue in favor of homosexuality and find nothing about it unnatural. For those people who do think it is not natural they normally use the argument that this kind of sex can not reproduce, therefore it is not right because the point of sex is to reproduce. Many times the Bible will also be used to refer to verses that condemn acts of homosexual sex. People who favor the morality of homosexuality find many things wrong with these arguments. To say that the only purpose of sex is to reproduce would be wrong because there are many examples of heterosexual couples who have sex without the intention of conception. Medical problems, protected sex, and just sex for fun are all reasons why
The Holy Bible and its various renditions is the most common religious book that many religions have founded from. The first collection of writings of the bible can be dated back as far as 1500 years, which is 3500 years after homosexuality existed. The bible looks at homosexuality as an abomination and sinful, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28). There are nearly eighty bible verses about homosexuality being sinful and sacrilegious (Open Bible). Not all religions had the same view on homosexuals,
Religion has been a big issue with judging homosexual. Some Christians believe that the Bible speaks with one clear voice in condemning homosexuality. In many Anti-gay Christians groups see homosexuality as sinful. Using the Bible to justify their hate against anything they do not understand.
...s that you develop a way of regarding the information that you receive to the society that you are living in. He also believes that a quality education develops a students moral views and ability to think. And that these qualities are best developed in the traditional classroom setting by interaction between the student and their professors, and the student’s social life on campus, that is, their interaction with fellow students.
The roles of Noah and Utnapishtim in the Flood Myths are quite similar. There are several differences regarding the two flood myths, but the general idea behind the two remains consistent. In the Mesopotamian Flood Myth, the Gods were overwhelmed by the amount of humans that existed on Earth and were unable to sleep due to the noise of men. So they decided to "exterminate mankind." While in the Hebrew story of Noah and the Flood Myth, God grew tired of the evil that had plagued mankind and engulfed the earth. So God decided to start the world over to undue the mistakes of man. Both of these stories display an attempt by the Gods to start the world over to cleanse the earth. Both Utnapishtim and Noah were spoken to by Gods and asked to build large boats from which all who were to be spared would seek shelter during the storm. Both men were allowed to spare the lives of their family via the safety of the boats. Also, the method used by the Gods in these myths are the same, the skies would rain down upon the earth flooding the land and killing all who were not ordered onto the boats.
Unlike the other books I have read, this book left out a lot of elements like ritual, prayer, clothing, and all of the trappings of religion. I really do not agree with this part of the book. I find this part of religion interesting and I was looking forward to reading and learning about it. I am still not disappointed, but I would have liked the book better if it was expressed.
We have all at some point or another heard someone say that God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. This saying is an excellent example of how a large number of Christian fundamentalist feel about the homosexual community. Studies have shown that there are more Christian homophobes than there is homophobia in any other group or religion in the United States (Wolff, J. R., Himes, H. L., Kwon, E., & Bollinger, R. A., 2012). Homophobia is the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. In Christianity, homophobia represents misunderstanding and fear of the unknown.
The main historical writings, which damn homosexuals, come from Jewish authors. These authors did not know that (1) sexual orientation existed and (2) only knew gay relationships to be abusive. People today should know that sexual orientation is a real thing and all homosexual relations are not abusive. Identifying as homosexual also is not a means of idol worship like originally believed. Laws change as society changes. More information about gay partnerships emerges all the time, so the laws oppressing these people need to change with the times. There was a time women were viewed as completely inferior to men, this idea too has evolved and women now have a place in society. Finally, there is no such thing as an accurate interpretation of the Bible. There are as many interpretations of the Bible as there are people on earth, plus another million. To then add in other historical documents regarding homosexuality gives infinite beliefs on the ethics of homosexuality. The Bible itself is not clear on its definition of homosexuality, so Christians cannot use it as a defining source. Homosexuals should not be condemned based on ancient myths or for any other reason at
Man shall not lie with man, and the actions are only sinful when acted upon. Thus, homosexuals are called to chastity, and to repent for any physical iniquity, or deliberate fantasies. A specific reading from the Bible states, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. . . . If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them" (Lev. 18:22, 20:13). Religious individuals also believe that certain behaviours are wrong because they are seemingly unnatural and contrary to the natural law - the natural sex partner for a man is a woman and vice versa. However, the Vatican believes that all homosexuals should continue to be treated equally, with compassion, respect, and sensitivity because they are still a living breathing human being created in the image of God. They also state that unjust discrimination should be avoided, as well as violence towards the issue. On September 30th, 2013, Pope Francis explicitly stated, "When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem…they’re our brothers." He later suggested that
Education is the act or process of providing knowledge skills or competence by a formal course of instruction or training. Through out history societies have sought to educate their people to produce goods and services, to respond effectively and creatively to their world, and to satisfy their curiosity and aesthetic impulses. To achieve reliable knowledge and to think systematically. Over the course of human history education has appeared in many forms, both formalised and informal. Major thinkers have always recognised the educational value of intellectual exploration and of concrete experimentation. Most societies have attempted to standardise the behaviour of their members. These societies have apprenticeship systems by which the young have learned to imitate the beliefs and behaviours of a given group. Teachers have worked within schools of thought cults, monasteries and other types of organisations to shape desired convictions, knowledge and behaviour. Such philosophical and religious leaders as the Budha, Confucius, Pythagoras, Jesus, Moses, Muhammad and Karl Marx instructed their disciplines through informal education.