How can the teaching of knowledge in schools contribute to the development of students as individual human beings, with the capacity not only for problem solving within the existing structures of society but also for developing ideas and solutions that go "beyond the existing structures?" The purpose of this article is to bring this…

This article contributes new insights to research on citizenship and young citizen subject formation in the context of the posthuman condition. Bringing a feminist materialist sensibility to bear, we explore citizenship as "materially" mobilised and produced. Considering the constitutive role that embodied and affective phenomena play in…

Critics suggest that youth lack basic civic knowledge and are disengaging from civic action, particularly political action. The validity of these criticisms depends on how civic knowledge and civic engagement are defined. The results of four studies of civic education, conducted by the IEA over a period of almost 50 years, are examined in terms of…

A growing body of literature focuses on practice as a central aspect of teacher education. Whereas this approach emerged mainly from teacher preparation programs in specific content areas such as math, science, and literacy studies, socially related educational fields have served as a peripheral player alone. Recently, however, scholars have…

An Augustinian understanding of original sin can significantly contribute to the purpose of the teaching of the humanities. It helps at the point where Martha Nussbaum's understanding of the humanities is inconsistent. She argues that the humanities should cultivate a "world citizen," that is, a people aspiring towards a universal…

Education is central to creating well-informed citizens capable of participating in social and political life. However, civic education in some liberal democratic societies has often focused on teaching students the mechanics and structure of party politics, overlooking many of the public virtues that help to sustain democratic life. In this…

An adequate response to the environmental and sustainability issues we now face cannot be limited to single perspectives, disciplines, or ways of knowing, and instead requires an interdisciplinary approach. Despite the connections between the fields of citizenship-, character- and sustainability education, they have thus far run parallel to each…

If global citizenship education (GCE) is to become a pedagogical approach, it must recognize the embedded moral responsibilities contained in its presumptive domains. I propose a theoretical pedagogy that acknowledges the moral dimensions of GCE wherein the process is what matters, not a pre-identification of values that should be accepted as…

This article examines the role of the arts in education through a detailed sharing of a research project, Hum Hindustani, on children and citizenship. Using examples of work co-created with children in art workshops for the project, the article offers an understanding of the place of the arts in the classroom to provoke a larger conversation that…

While traditional civic education in the United States is inextricably linked to notions of a public sphere, this paper argues that the digital era requires a reimagining of this premise. The opaque nature of digital spaces makes it difficult for young people to understand how large of an audience they are interacting with and to what extent a…

In this article, the central question is how the relationship between democracy and education can be understood in terms of civic literacy. By taking as a point of departure John Dewey's basic understanding of democracy in terms of communication and experience, which also forms the basis for the pragmatist knowledge concept of "transactional…

Curiosity is not prominent in investigations on democratic development. Nor is curiosity discussed in democratic education discourses. However, this article contributes to the present Special Issue the idea that the connection of curiosity and democracy should not be ignored. First, I show that curiosity's connection with democracy has,…

Given the profound social implications of climate change, this subject is increasingly important for a broad range of sociology classes. Sociology instructors who address the subject of climate change face a dilemma. Presenting too grim of a portrait risks fostering psychological distress and withdrawal from action to address climate change,…

This article explores conceptualisations of global citizenship and global citizenship education and questions whether a lack of clarity impacts global citizenship education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing attention to the multiplicity of meanings associated with these phenomena, it argues that the lack of consensus surrounding the notion of…

This article extends an invitation to fellow civic engagement educators and others to reflect on how an eclectic and personal selection of great works of literature raises and illuminates some of the critical questions surrounding the concept and practice of civic engagement. Through literature we can explore the implications of various ideas and…