The American Democracy Project (ADP) is an initiative of
AASCU
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees. AASCU grew out of the Association o ...
campuses that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of AASCU. The goal of the project is to produce graduates who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful actions as
citizens in a
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
.
This project uses the definition of civic engagement proposed by
Thomas Ehrlich
Thomas Ehrlich (born March 4, 1934) is a consulting professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He has been married to Ellen R. Ehrlich since 1957. They have three children David, Elizabeth, and Paul, and nine grandchildren. They live ...
and his colleagues in ''Civic Responsibility and Higher Education:''
“ Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.”
“ A morally
Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...
and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate.” [Introduction, page xxvi. ]
Civic Engagement in Action Series
To bring the aforementioned goals to fruition, ADP has instituted a series of initiatives entitled the Civic Engagement in Action Series that involves a group of ADP campuses and external partners. There are seven initiatives:
# The Stewardship of
Public Lands
In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Australia, and Canada). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countrie ...
# Seven Revolutions
# Participatory Citizenship:
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Democracy and the
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment.
Juries developed in England du ...
System
#
Political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
Engagement Project
# Strategies to Encouraging
Voting
Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
# Civic Engagement and the First Year
# Civic Commitment
Each of the initiatives deals with some critical national issue. Many of the initiatives use a case study as a way to illustrate the concerns and processes at work. The Civic Engagement in Action Series has developed and will continue to develop a variety of materials, program ideas, and recommendations for all campuses participating in the American Democracy Project.
Constitution Day
In addition to these initiatives, the national office of the American Democracy Project also strives to support member campuses as they celebrate and honor
Constitution Day
Constitution Day is a holiday to honour the constitution of a country. Constitution Day is often celebrated on the anniversary of the signing, promulgation or adoption of the constitution, or in some cases, to commemorate the change to constitut ...
. Constitution Day is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the
United States Constitution. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.
Film Your Issue
The American Democracy Project also was a major sponsor of
Film Your Issue, a contest designed to encourage college-aged filmmakers to produce films about political topics that matter to them.
References
External links
American Democracy ProjectAmerican Association of State Colleges and Universities website''The New York Times'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Democracy Project (Aascu Initiative)
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American democracy activists