Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference III: Political Theorists on Civic Education

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Part of Mini-Conference

• Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference III

Session Description

The panelists will explore four major political theorists’ perspectives on civic education. The papers and discussion will suggest insights about the mini-conference theme of “Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In.”

1) Paul Carrese, Arizona State University, “Tocqueville on America’s ‘Reflective Patriotism’ and Lessons for Civic Education”

2) Nancy Vegas, Northwestern University, “Madeleine Arnot’s Framework for Feminist Civic Education”

3) Matthew David Nelsen, Miami University, “A DuBoisan Approach to Civic Education”

4) Peter Levine, Tufts University, “Revisiting Elinor Ostrom’s 1997 APSA Presidential Address”

Moderator: Peter Levine

Vegas has not yet registered for the annual meeting (but will do so). Therefore, we are pasting her paper abstract below:

"Though the global education landscape shifts its focus from access to quality, it has begun to include gender equality as a target for civic education, but it has not set standards or criteria for the implementation of citizenship education in gender equality - leading to access as the only measure of quality in this area. Madeleine Arnot, a founder of the Gender & Education journal, and leading feminist citizenship education researcher, presented a pivotal framework for gendered citizenship education in response to this need for clear standards. This paper examines the application of her framework in civic education research, with a focus on its theoretical gaps and practical implications. Through a comprehensive literature review, key publications in education, gender studies, and citizenship that applied Arnot’s framework were analyzed based on their ability to critique, set, or clarify important criteria or standards for good quality civic education. The analysis reveals inconsistencies in the incorporation of gender in civic education, highlighting the need for a more concrete theorization of gender-based political agency. This study proposes a refined understanding of gender-based agency as a competency, aiming to enhance its integration into civic education curricula and facilitate more consistent feminist civic education research."

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Individual Presentations

• A DuBoisan Approach to Civic Education - Matthew D. Nelsen, University of Miami

• Tocqueville on America’s “Reflective Patriotism” and Lessons for Civic Education - Paul O. Carrese, Arizona State University

• Revisiting Elinor Ostrom's Presidential Address - Peter Levine, Tufts University

Chair

• Peter Levine Tufts University

Discussant

• Joshua M. Dunn University of Tennessee