Civics at Work

Program Segment Descriptions

Civics at Work — People, Government, and a Civil Society takes an active approach to civics and government instruction, based on the five organizing questions of the National Standards for Civics and Government. Civics at Work is a curriculum that is robust with rich experiences, relying largely on electronic and non-traditional resources rather than textbooks, which may also be used to bring life to an existing civics curriculum.

1. — What is government and what should it do?
	Government, Civil Society, and Citizenship Concepts covered include: government, authority, consent of the governed, the common good, individual rights, civil society, civic and voluntary organizations. Liberty and the Rule of Law Concepts covered include: the rule of law vs. “rule of men,” conflict between individual rights and the common good, anarchy, fairness, freedom under law, and ordered liberty.
2. — Basic values and principles of American democracy
	Individual Rights and the Common Good Concepts covered include: people as ultimate source of power, a government of limited powers, and constitution as higher law. Constitutionalism and Representative Democracy Concepts covered include: representative democracy, direct democracy, elections, and responsible representation.
3. — The Constitution and principles of American democracy
	Federalism and the Division of Powers Concepts covered include: the activities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, checks and balances, federalism, and state governments. The Right to a Fair Trial Concepts covered include: rights of the accused, the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, the right to counsel, due process, and adversarial and inquisitorial systems.
4. — The relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs
	Foreign Policy and National Security Concepts covered include: sovereignty, diplomacy, treaties and agreements, sanctions, military force and threat of force, free and open trade, and human rights. Foreign Policy and the Economy Concepts covered include: foreign policy, diplomacy, trade and tariffs, economic aid, military aid, humanitarian aid, and military intervention.
5. — The roles of the citizen in American democracy
	Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship Concepts include: the roles and responsibilities of citizenship and the naturalization process. Civil Participation A summative overview of active everyday participation in civil society with focus on issues related to takings, quality of life, property rights, and freedom of expression.

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