The views on citizenship by Banks et. al. in Democracy and Diversity, combine aspects of different discourses on citizenship as presented by Knight, Abowitz and Harnish in Review of Educational Research.
The discourse of citizenship that mostly closely aligns with Banks et. al. is transnational citizenship. Transnationalism traces its roots to the stoic tradition that idealized equality, compassion, democracy, universalism and humanism. Individuals and groups can share identity as citizens and at the same time share identity with communities of diverse people and nations around the world. The skills that need to be taught to students are tolerance and empathy, so that students can overcome the gaps that segregate people across intellectual, philosophical, and cultural lines. Citizenship education should help students gain a perspective on the personal, academic, pluralist, and global view of the human condition. The curriculum needs to be focused on universal human rights and needs to move away from a nation centered perspective to a “world-centered” view.
Banks et al. also borrow from the discourses of cultural citizenship. Diversity is seen as a resource, not a threat. Citizenship education should help students develop the skills to examine unity and diversity within their own country and comparatively to other nations. Students should be able to study the problems and questions related to major social groups including race, class, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability and sexual orientation. Students should be engaged in multicultural and anti-racist education.
Banks et al. agree with the reconstructionist discourse that students need to engage in active learning. Rather than being told about how democracy works students need to engage in democracy. Citizenship education should foster both engagement and criticism of the government. Teachers should emphasize critical patriotism, encouraging reasoned loyalty rather than teaching students to love their country without reason as advocated by the civic republican discourse.
Articles Cited:
Knight-Abowitz and Harnish. "Contemporary Discourses of Citizenship." Review of Educational Research 76 no. 4 (2006): 653-690
Banks, James et. Al. Democracy and Diversity: Principles and Concepts for Educating Citizens in a Global Age. Center for Multicultural Education. p. 7-38.
First Time, Long Time…
2 years ago
4 comments:
[sorry, had some technical difficulties with my 1st attempt...]
Kevin -
You have done a great job of connecting the theories of transnational, cultural, and reconstructionist citizenship to the Banks framework. I particularly like your description of transnationalism's origins in the Stoic tradition.
Ali
p.s. I love "Stuff White People Like," and your wife's "Kitty Wars" posts are too funny!
You get an 'A' in my book.
Excellent paper.
Globalization, democracy in the classroom, critical patriotism, cosmopolitanism, multiple perspectives, sustainable development, identity, diversity and even the UDHR, the article Democracy and Diversity outlines everything that I believe to be important to include in citizenship education. Banks et al. synthesize the key aspects of the different discourses on citizenship and outline a succinct set of principles to guide educators who are interested in how to teach citizenship in the 21st century.
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