Civic Participation

 

Overview

This E-learning module contains nine self-contained sections. Depending on the amount of time you have available, you may view all the sections, or you may choose to view only certain sections.

Introduction

This section gives you a brief description of the corresponding E-learning module.

Avenues of Participation

In this section, you will be given a list of several ways in which U.S. citizens can be civically involved, and you will be asked what percentage of Americans you think actually participate in the various ways. You will then learn the actual percentages. Next, you will be asked which avenues of participation seem potentially most effective to you. Finally, you will find out what others doing this exercise thought.

Where to Go with a Problem

Even if you are interested in trying to improve your community and see a local problem that you think needs to be addressed, it still might not be at all clear whom to contact for help. Contacting your elected representative might be a place to start, but which level: federal, state, or local ? In this section, you can take our quiz and try your hand at getting the problem to the appropriate level of government.

The Importance of Voting

Since the founding of our nation, voting has been considered one of the core responsibilities of good citizenship. In this section, you will hear from Patricia McGinnis, President of the Council for Excellence in Government, on why it is important for Americans — and especially for young people — to exercise their right to vote.

How to Follow the Work of Congress

Staying generally informed about what’s going on in Congress and state legislatures is an essential part of active citizenship. Yet it’s often not clear what are the best sources of information available to ordinary citizens, especially given the many other demands on their time. In this section, you will hear some recommendations from three experts whose job it is to follow the work of Congress and state legislatures on a daily basis.

How to Contact a Legislator Effectively

People use a wide variety of methods for contacting Members of Congress or state legislators — some very effective, others even counterproductive. In this section, you will be asked to evaluate the effectiveness of various ways of bringing an issue to the attention of your elected representative, and then you will get an insider’s perspective on what works and what doesn’t.

Individuals Who Made a Difference

Hear from Stephen E. Frantzich, chair of the Department of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy, about some of the stories he collected for his book, Citizen Democracy: Political Activists in a Cynical Age (Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999). The six stories that follow are about “relatively typical individuals who overcame cynicism to affect public well-being” in a wide range of important areas.

Joining Interest Groups

If you want your elected representatives to consider an issue that you feel is particularly important, you don’t have to go it alone. An effective strategy is to join with other people who have formed an interest group and get involved with their various efforts to influence the political process. Hear Alan Rosenthal, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, talk about the role and impact of special interest groups. He recently wrote a book on interest group lobbying, The Third House: Lobbyists and Lobbying in the States ( Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2nd ed., April 2001).

Summary

This section reiterates and discusses the main points of the corresponding module .

 

Prerequisites

Prior to completing this E-learning module, students should:

• understand the principles of the United States constitutional government and the separation of powers concept, and
• know the organization and functions of local, state, and national governments.

 

Navigating the E-Learning Module

Navigating this e-learning module is fairly intuitive. If needed, you may refer to the step-by-step instructions below.

Avenues of Participation

Read the Introduction. Then click BEGIN. Move the slider to indicate the percentage of people you think participate in government. When you are done, the actual percentages will appear in red on the screen. Click on CONTINUE when you have finished viewing the actual percentages. Choose the avenues of participation that you would be interested in participating in, and click on those titles for more information. Then click CONTINUE. View what others participating in this exercise thought. Then click CONTINUE again. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

Where to Go with a Problem

Read the Introduction. Then click BEGIN. Read the problem, and decide which level of government you should contact. Indicate your decision by using your cursor to drag the image of the problem to the right box. A yellow box will appear and indicate whether your answer was right or wrong. Read the information in this box. Then click CONTINUE and progress through the exercise. When you are finished, a summary will appear on the screen. After reading the summary, click CONTINUE. View the related links; then click CONTINUE again. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

The Importance of Voting

A video showing an interview with Patricia McGinnis, President of the Council for Excellence in Government, will automatically play. Click CONTINUE after you watch the video, and look at the graph showing the percentage of voter turnout during midterm and presidential elections. Once you have carefully looked at this information, click CONTINUE. Using the cursor, roll over each country to see what the voter turnout for that particular country was. Then click CONTINUE again. Select a year and view the voter turnout by age. When you are finished, click CONTINUE. Read one factor related to voter turnout for young people. After reading the information, click on the NEXT FACTOR button. Continue reading all of the factors, clicking NEXT FACTOR to progress through the list. After you have viewed all of them, click CONTINUE again. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

How to Follow the Work of Congress

Read the Introduction. Then click CONTINUE. A question will appear on the screen. Choose an answer to the question by clicking on it. A response will pop up and tell you whether your answer is correct or incorrect. Read the response, and then click CONTINUE. Advance through the quiz by clicking CONTINUE at the end of each question. When you are done with the quiz, read the information provided. Then click CONTINUE. Watch each interview. To start the videos, push the PLAY button below each image. After viewing all of the interviews, click CONTINUE. Look at the suggested resources. Then click CONTINUE again. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

How to Contact a Legislator Effectively

Read the Introduction. Then click BEGIN. A question will appear on the screen. Choose an answer to the question by clicking on it. A response will pop up and tell you whether your answer is correct or incorrect. Read the response, and then click CONTINUE. Advance through the quiz by clicking CONTINUE at the end of each question. When you are done with the quiz, the menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice .

Individuals Who Made a Difference

Read the Introduction. Then click BEGIN. Click the PLAY button located below the image and watch the video. After watching the video, click CONTINUE. Next, click on an image and listen to the story. Once you have listened to the biography, click CONTINUE — the next story will automatically play. When you are done, click on the MENU button and choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice .

Joining Interest Groups

Read the Introduction. Then click BEGIN. A video about interest groups will automatically play. After you have watched the video, click CONTINUE. Look at the 10 largest interest groups, and then click CONTINUE. Look at the 10 most influential interest groups, and click CONTINUE again. Look at the 10 largest interest groups in Washington, D.C., and then click CONTINUE. Place your cursor over a letter and look at the interest group that corresponds with that letter. When you are done, click CONTINUE. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice .

 

Helpful Hints

You may want to use a projector to enlarge the image of the percentage of voter turnout throughout the years. You can then conduct a whole-class discussion and talk about why voter turnout may have been higher during certain years.

 

You may want to ask students to take notes and write down any questions that arise when they watch the videos in this module. After students have viewed the videos, you can check for understanding and have students summarize the main points.