foundations of us democracy
Unit: Foundations of US Democracy
This Unit Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
Inquiry Skills—You will develop questions and plan investigations; analyze societal issues, trends, and events; develop explanations and make persuasive arguments in support of your conclusions; and communicate your conclusions.
21st Century Skills—You will use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, assess and validate information, and independently raise questions and pursue leads.
Introduction
Civil society has emerged in social studies and the media as a term for describing a subtle and ethereal part of what makes modern nations and governments function. People use a range of definitions of civil society, including: the voluntary associations outside of the government that people and groups create for many reasons, including social reasons, charitable reasons, and economic reasons a sector of social and community activity distinct from government and business that includes intermediary institutions such as advocacy organization, religious groups, professional associations, community service organizations, and labor unions organizations and groups that empower a variety of voices in society and enrich participation in democratic structures the informal structures driven by voluntary participation that support a free society and encourage participation in governance
This unit activity will explore the concept of civil society, how it relates to governments on a spectrum from democratic to totalitarian, and how the United States’ form of government establishes and supports room for civil society to flourish.
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Directions and Analysis
Task 1: Civil Society
To understand the role of civil society in sustaining the relevance of a government, in this task you will work with the definition of civil society, analyze how citizens build the skills needed to engage in
This Unit Activity will help you meet these educational goals:
Inquiry Skills—You will develop questions and plan investigations; analyze societal issues, trends, and events; develop explanations and make persuasive arguments in support of your conclusions; and communicate your conclusions.
21st Century Skills—You will use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, assess and validate information, and independently raise questions and pursue leads.
Introduction
Civil society has emerged in social studies and the media as a term for describing a subtle and ethereal part of what makes modern nations and governments function. People use a range of definitions of civil society, including: the voluntary associations outside of the government that people and groups create for many reasons, including social reasons, charitable reasons, and economic reasons a sector of social and community activity distinct from government and business that includes intermediary institutions such as advocacy organization, religious groups, professional associations, community service organizations, and labor unions organizations and groups that empower a variety of voices in society and enrich participation in democratic structures the informal structures driven by voluntary participation that support a free society and encourage participation in governance
This unit activity will explore the concept of civil society, how it relates to governments on a spectrum from democratic to totalitarian, and how the United States’ form of government establishes and supports room for civil society to flourish.
__________________________________________________________________________
Directions and Analysis
Task 1: Civil Society
To understand the role of civil society in sustaining the relevance of a government, in this task you will work with the definition of civil society, analyze how citizens build the skills needed to engage in