Social Civics

Our economy is on the move, fueled by revolutions in energy, immigration, innovation, big data, and advanced manufacturing. America's energy independence has set off shockwaves. Just as important are the social transformations that are making the country ever more racially and culturally diverse, younger, and a home to immigrants. While most other countries struggle profoundly with immigration and religious and racial differences, America is on a path to multicultural identity.

Years of political violence and protests against injustice have revived interest in teaching civics in schools. The problem? Civic education—as it currently exists—privileges systems, not students. It promotes incremental change within a broken democracy rather than responding to the youth-led movements that call for the abolition of inequitable social structures. What will it take to prepare young people for the just future they are fighting for?

Are you ready to break down conflict and build consensus on polarizing topics? Ideally, education equips students to care about the world and helps them shape their futures. In an era that has become incredibly polarized, we can help our students learn how to come together despite differences. Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters show how all educators can equip our youth with skills to become active and engaged citizens. A one-off course on civics is not enough. Preventing Polarization offers basic strategies that every teacher can use. You will create experiences to help students break down...

Be Less Dickish clarifies differences between an asshole, douchebag, dick, pussy, and - bonus - the piece of shit. These crass, destructive, and often hilarious characters reveal insights about you and the men you know. Understanding these guys will help you deal with them.

One year into Donald Trump's presidency, the US 2016 presidential election is still being fought by both parties. As the case of Russian hacking and collusion is investigated, and Hillary Clinton desperately attempts to explain what happened to her and why she lost, a more important question, one haunted by shadowy tactics and campaign double-dealing, rings out: what happened to Bernie Sanders?

Reason and Politics: The Nature of Political Phenomena examines the central phenomena of political life in order to clarify their meaning, source, and range. Mark Blitz gives particular attention to the notions of freedom, rights, justice, virtue, power, property, nationalism, and the common good.

Die Welt ist zum Verändern da, nicht zum Ertragen. Früher war die Zukunft besser. Heute scheint keiner zu glauben, dass es unseren Kindern mal besser gehen wird. Muss das so sein? Muss es nicht! Der Soziologe und erprobte Zukunftsarchitekt Harald Welzer entwirft uns eine gute, eine mögliche Zukunft: Darin gibt es Städte ohne Autos, Schulen ohne Gebäude, die Menschen erhalten ein Grundeinkommen, und Grenzen gibt es auch nicht mehr. Erfrischend und ermutigend zeigt Welzer: Die vielbeschworene Alternativlosigkeit ist in Wahrheit nur Phantasielosigkeit.

En 2004 Michoacán se resquebrajó. Ese año, los cárteles, insatisfechos con las ganancias obtenidas con el tráfico de drogas, diversificaron sus actividades e incursionaron en la extorsión, el secuestro, el pillaje y, en el colmo del sadismo, la violación y la tortura. Después de una década de violencia desatada, los habitantes de la zona reaccionaron. Empobrecidos por los embates del crimen, olvidados por las autoridades, furiosos y hartos, decidieron tomar la justicia en sus manos.

Michael Slaby identifies four necessary avenues to build a future that serves us all: redesign our platforms; restore journalism, government, and corporations; reclaim the power and diversity of our storytelling; and ultimately redeem ourselves. Optimistic and passionate, For ALL the People breaks down how we got here, and how we can work together toward a better democracy empowered by - rather than exploited by - technology.

In the wake of the coronavirus and George Floyd killing, many of the issues dividing us as a nation - race, politics, class, gender, climate change, globalism, and religion - have only been magnified, and although the US surgeon general has called for an end to bickering and partisanship, it is unclear to what extent this will take effect. What is clear, however, is that safe, mindfully structured dialogues are imperative if we are to salvage our republic and the democratic principles on which it is built.

Rebel Song is a tremendous story of a woman, a heart, a madman, a rebel, and the growing storm of change. Eerie warnings parallel contemporary crises. Weaving metaphors soar and dive. Archetypes evoke stunning moments of real-life recognition. And in the end, the sweeping triumph of the rebel song's message leaves you in shivers-and-chills delight.

In an era when democracy is at critical risk, is it reasonable to expect the education system, already buckling under the ordeal of a global pandemic, to solve the converging problems of inequality, climate change, and erosion of trust in government and science? Will more civics instruction help? In Can Schools Save Democracy? Michael J. Feuer offers a new approach to addressing these questions with a strategy for improving the process and substance of civic education.

Government and market failures spur many citizens to practical action today. Around the globe people form renewable energy cooperatives, provide support for marginalized populations, and deliver alternative justice and care services. What motivates citizens to begin such practical problem-solving? How do they engage others? What knowledge do they generate? How do they interact with state and market actors? What risks and opportunities do they hold for contemporary democracy?

Denise Dresser presenta una lectura urgente y necesaria: López Obradorsedujo a millones con su promesa de salvaguardar la democracia y ser un antídoto contra la regresión política y social de México. Hoy la distancia entre aquella esperanza y la realidad es insalvable. AMLO ha erosionado, con palabras y hechos, la institucionalidad deficitaria, reemplazándola con un ejercicio de gobierno centrado sólo en él, rodeado de verde olivo. Por improvisación, por prisa, y por mala administración, heredará bombas de tiempo a su sucesora.

No major arena of US governance is more elitist than foreign policy. International relations barely surface in election campaigns, and policymakers take little input from Congress. For much of the twentieth century, officials, activists, and academics worked to foster an informed public that would embrace participation in foreign policy as a civic duty. Every Citizen a Statesman recounts an abandoned effort to create a democratic foreign policy.

If the midterm elections were a declaration of war on the status quo, Rand Paul leads the battle charge. Voters fearful of growing government and debt have found voice in the Tea Party phenomenon, and the movement continues to deliver a message that Washington, D.C., has found impossible to ignore.

When #BlackLivesMatter emerged in 2013, it animated the most consequential Black-led mobilization since the civil rights and Black power era. Today, the hashtag turned rallying cry is but one expression of a radical reorientation toward Black politics, protest, and political thought. To Build a Black Future examines the spirit and significance of this insurgency, offering a revelatory account of a new political culture—responsive to pain, suffused with joy, and premised on care—emergent from the centuries-long arc of Black rebellion, a tradition that traces back to the Black slave.

Power Shift charts the rise of Latino political power and its impact, from the breakthrough election of the first Mexican American to the Los Angeles City Council in 1949 to today’s leadership of California and its heavyweight role in polarized America. This inspiring story recounts the origins and development of 10 LA-based Latina and Latino leaders who transformed politics and government, forging a progressive political tradition in the process.

The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore is a firsthand account of the events that shaped the 2016 presidential election and the cultural forces that powered Donald Trump into the White House. Featuring in-the-field reports as well as deep analysis, Sexton's book is not just the story of the most unexpected and divisive election in modern political history. It is also a sobering chronicle of our democracy's political polarization - a result of our self-constructed, technologically assisted echo chambers.

Meade survived a tough childhood only to find himself with a felony conviction. Finding the strength to pull his life together, he graduated summa cum laude from college, graduated from law school, and married. But because of his conviction, he was not even allowed to sit for the bar exam in Florida. And when his wife ran for state office, he was filled with pride - but not permitted to vote for her.