Information and Suggestions for Faculty
Introduction to the ADP
The American Democracy Project (ADP) is an initiative
organized by the Association of American State Colleges and Universities
that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding
of civic engagement in the United States in the 21st century.
Dr. Thomas Ehrlich, Ed. Civic Responsibility and Higher Education,
defines 'civic engagement' as:
- Working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities
and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation
to make that difference.
- Promoting the quality of life in a community through both political
and non-political processes.
Clearly, SUNY Brockport can point to faculty members who teach civic
engagement ideas, issues, and principles in their courses. Further,
some departments are civically engaged through interaction with other
communities at both the local level and beyond. Still other departments
pursue civic engagement by addressing and participating in social justice
related activities and other causes. Lastly, several departments have
elaborate service learning and internship programs that are geared toward
civic engagement.
These accomplishments, while important, fail to address major goals
of the ADP, specifically to 1) facilitate and encourage campus-wide
conversation and action in the area of civic engagement and 2) to move
from activities located in discreet and disconnected areas of the curriculum
and co-curriculum toward the articulation of civic engagement as an
institutional priority. While conversations continue as the ADP moves
into a second year on our campus, a number of specific outcomes can
be noted:
- Fall and spring courses focused on the ADP are offered in 2004-05.
- A series of campus events are planned for 2004-05 that include
speakers, films and arts and cultural events relating to the ADP.
- The Summer Reading Project for freshmen was reinstated with a title
choice relevant to the ADP.
- Completion of two campus surveys: 1) a survey of attitudes regarding
civic engagement and 2) a campus audit of current civic engagement
activities.
The Summer Reading Program
As
part of the ADP, SUNY College at Brockport has reinstated a Freshman
Summer Reading Program to orient new students to the Brockport
academic community by having a common reading experience. This summer's
reading selection is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America,
by Barbara Ehrenreich. Students will receive a copy of the book with
support materials and information about the program in early July.
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is Ehrenreich's
account of her year working as a waitress, cleaning woman, nursing home
assistant and Wal-Mart employee. Her portraits of the working poor should
encourage healthy dialogue on our campus by bringing up issues such
as the economy, the income gap and our large low paying service industries.
Ideas for how faculty can be active partners in the American
Democracy Project and the Freshman Summer Reading Program:
(The following recommendations grew out of the ADP Town Hall Meetings
held this spring.)
- Read the book! If you need a copy, the Barnes and Noble Bookstore
offers the paper back for $10.40 (reflects a 20% discount).
- Find ways to bring discussion of ideas or issues in the book into
your clases based on your individual discipline or area of interest.
- Use a question from the Freshman Summer Reading Program reading
/discussion guide for an in class writing response, to stage a
debate or to generate disuccsion.
- Encourage students to take part in the many campus discussions,
projects and lectures organized as part of the American Democracy
Project. Of note are the staged reading of the play script of "Nickel
and Dimed" (October) and "Changing Nature of Work: How Economic
Trends Have Changed and Will Change Your Life," a workshop provided
by Career Services that can be held in your class.
- Consider using mechanisms like secret ballot voting, mock debates
(assign pro/con roles), or role-playing to address key issues in Nickel
and Dimed (i.e. the working poor, a living wage, links between
low paying jobs and lack of a college degree).
- Organize a "Survivor Challenge" between APS seminars.
The challenges could be organized around service-oriented activities
emphasizing civic engagement.
- Utilize the New York Times in class (a partner in the ADP). A search
function allows faculty to identify NYT articles based on subject
matter. Or sign up for an email alert based on subject matter that
will email pointing to relevant articles in that day's newspaper.
Subscription information is available through the office of Campus
Life.
- Allow students to select a question from the reading/discussion
questions to debate in class. Divide the class into debate "teams"
and make the debates a contest.
- Ask students to conduct research on the "working poor."
Compare their findings with findings in Nickel and Dimed.
- Ask students to define "civic engagement" then compare
and contrast their definition to that of Dr. Ehrlich.
- Encourage students to explore the issues surrounding the 2004 National
Election (or those raised in the Ehrenreich book) having them do so
by setting guidelines for "civil discourse."
- Encourage students to register to vote by taking advantage of the
number of campus-wide initiatives in the fall.
- Organize or encourage co-curricular opportunities to investigate
key issues regarding the national, state and local elections. Take
advantage of the elections and the attending political debate as an
opportunity to tie discussion or assignments to classroom work.
- Utilize the ADP Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) document as well as the Summer Reading
Program FAQ document so that you can answer students' questions
about these initiatives.
- Utilize these websites for more information on the ADP and the
Freshman Summer Reading Program:
For additional questions about the summer reading, (585) 395-5646 or
e-mail sarno@brockport.edu.
