Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Civics lessons for prospective journalists Would adding a civics and public affairs section to standard college-admission tests make high school and college students better readers of public affairs news? It might be worth a try, as a way to counter students' all-entertainment-all-the-time media diet. I've been grading a final exam that mentioned such a proposal -- adapted from David Mindich's article, "Dude, Where's Your Newspaper?" (He goes into more detail in his book, "Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don't Follow the News.") While writing a comment on one student's paper, I stumbled on this LA Times column by Rosa Brooks, "An SAT for citizenship" Her column about offering ignorant native-born Americans the kind of test given to immigrants seeking citizenship ends with this: "So maybe it's not too late for those of us who already enjoy citizenship to rediscover our civic heritage, participate actively in our government and hold our leaders accountable for their recent misdeeds. "Don't know where to start? Your local Citizenship and Immigration Services office would be happy to provide you with a good set of civics flash cards." Rather than go looking for a local U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services office, I went looking online... Not only are those flash cards she mentions real, USC&IS also offers a short video, booklets and an illustrated 112-page Citizen's Almanac with patriotic songs, poems, speeches (excerpts), portraits and profiles of great foreign-born Americans, from John Paul Jones to Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, all free for downloading. (A separate 4x7-inch 56-page booklet has the full text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights -- handy if I discover more "Media & Society" students next semester who don't know the contents of the First Amendment.) Could any of these publications be handy stocking-stuffers or spring reading assignments for junior high civics students, future journalists or more enlightened 21st century news-readers? (Supplemented by a few NPR and PBS Web links, and perhaps a journalism study or two.) I won't know which booklets to assign until I read them... but first I have some exams to grade. The semester's over. And I hear there are some good movies out... and I really should catch up with some friends' blogs, update my Facebook page, see what my Second Life avatar has been doing without me, and do some holiday shopping... Alas, civics lessons may have to wait. But it's good to know they're there. 6:58:41 PM    comment []

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