The course will explore historical, philosophical and practical elements of civic engagement while investigating the underlying question of what it means to be an engaged citizen in the early XXI century.
Learning objectives:
1. Understand core notions of citizenship and civic engagement.
2. Development of civic awareness, including an understanding of the concepts of public work, “civic agency” and citizen participation.
3. Develop the capacity to think critically about the context, impacts, challenges and opportunities of civic engagement activities, including those in which students lead or participate.
4. Understand various contexts where civic engagement takes place – at different levels (local, national, global) and between/across state and non-state organizations and groups, as well as in countries with different levels of political, social and economic development and diversity of population.
5. Develop the capacity to understand the basics of project management and to analyze in a comparative context civic engagement projects and movements.
Develop an understanding of the ethical implications of civic engagement activities, particularly for students engaged in civic engagement activities.