Teaching Democratic Citizenship in Moments of Conflict: Putting Civic Engagement Theory Into Practice When Teaching About the War in Ukraine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Events of recent years both in the United States and around the globe have highlighted the fragility of democracy. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has prompted educators to seek evidence-based civic engagement methods for helping students understand the invasion and its implications. This paper offers a set of recommendations on how to teach the war in Ukraine through the lens of civic engagement education. Over the years, a sizeable body of scholarship has developed addressing the critical role civic education plays in safeguarding democracy and producing effective pedagogical approaches for instilling democratic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Using this scholarship as a starting point, this paper offers recommendations on how educators in a variety of settings and across disciplines might modify these civic learning models to address the war in Ukraine. Based on my experience as a scholar-practitioner-educator at an institute of politics focused primarily on American democracy, I also offer suggestions on how to integrate teaching the war in Ukraine using these practices to enhance appreciation of civic engagement and the role of the citizen.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)374-390
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Political Science Education
Volume20
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Sociology and Political Science

Keywords

  • Teaching
  • civic engagement
  • conflict
  • pedagogy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Teaching Democratic Citizenship in Moments of Conflict: Putting Civic Engagement Theory Into Practice When Teaching About the War in Ukraine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this