Democracy Project
The University of Southern California Democracy Project seeks to work with education stakeholders across the country to mobilize equity through civic engagement among students by tapping into innovative education resources and experiences that will strengthen their knowledge, skills, and capacities to become engaged citizens in their communities.
The United States of America has long stood as a symbol of democracy around the world. Yet today, deep political divisions in our country threaten our commitment to democratic pluralism and civil liberty. As our political divisions deepen and disagreements on issues become more acrimonious, we recognize the urgent need to prepare students to engage in civil discourse and participate in democracy at all levels—local, state, and national.
Our Commitment
Through a series of strategic engagements with education stakeholders the Democracy Project will create innovative and actionable teaching and learning resources to powerfully mobilize students’ engaged citizenship. This commitment emerged from USC Rossier Dean Pedro Noguera’s vision for our school of education to be more engaged in the work of education for a flourishing democracy. Please view a keynote by Dean Noguera here:
Our Curriculum
We welcome you to this transformative curriculum designed to empower students to grapple with complex social issues and take informed action. The curriculum contains six modules that are organized by an overarching issue and compelling question.
The curriculum utilizes a model of inquiry-based deliberative civic engagement to support students in taking informed action toward important issues of public concern.
- Modules begin with inquiry lessons that provide students with opportunities to develop an understanding of the public issue.
- Then, students participate in a deliberation, where they examine multiple perspectives and clarify choices on how to address the public issue.
- After an initial inquiry and deliberation, students conduct an informed action project where they identify a specific issue to analyze further.
- Working with peers, students deliberate informed actions to address a public issue, develop a plan of action, carry out those planned actions, and reflect on the process.
Every module has been flexibly designed to allow for teacher adaptations that support the needs of students. Teachers helped to inform the development of all aspects of the curriculum through pilot testing and formative assessments. The following are key teacher takeaways from our first evaluation process.
Please click here to view our instructional resources below. Access is free but you will be asked to provide your name and email address:
News and Insights
Democracy project to strengthen student civic engagement
New initiative will curate civic education materials to help students achieve California State Seal of Civic Engagement.
New research: Opposition to Common Core Standards tied to views on President Obama
Political affiliation, misconceptions among voters offer clues about support of state standards
About Us
Robert Filback
Robert Filback is a Professor of Clinical Education at the University of Southern California. His areas of focus include international education, language teacher preparation, online and technology-enhanced learning, and creativity and innovation in education. Filback brings deep experience in program design and development, including online and blended curricula and international collaborations. Filback previously served as a lecturer in USC’s American Language Institute and as a research assistant in USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture. Prior to his work in higher education, he was a high school English teacher in Central Europe and then a trainer and director in the non-profit sector in the areas of international teacher preparation and intercultural understanding.
Jenifer Crawford
Jenifer Crawford is a Professor of Clinical Education at the University of Southern California. Crawford earned her Ph.D. in Urban Schooling from UCLA, specializing in teachers’ leadership and advocacy in public schools in collaboration with linguistically and racially minoritized communities. A former teacher in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil, she currently prepares multilingual teachers for diverse learners and contexts. Her research interests include critical praxis in language education rooted in critical pedagogy, an understanding of racial discourses, leveraging parent and community involvement, and integrating technology.
Robert Medrano
Robert Medrano is a project specialist for the University of Southern California Democracy Project. He has spent a decade in education as a secondary social studies teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum developer. Medrano earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from USC, specializing in teacher education. He is currently a program director at Teach Democracy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating American youth about civic participation in a democratic society.
Partners
We want to extend our gratitude to the incredible partners who stand alongside us in this work.