Civic education has long been a goal of liberal education, and many institutions are renewing their commitment to meaningful civic engagement as both a philosophical and educational goal of higher education. Civic engagement and media literacy are essential to fostering democracy. This chapter outlines the shared ideological and pedagogical approaches to civic and political engagement and its connection to media literacy education. The 2016 election cycle has presented a number of challenges for civic engagement and media literacy educators. Many of the core values and beliefs related to critical thinking and information literacy have been challenged.
The political disengagement of youth in this country is a serious concern for those in higher education. Although many initiatives have been launched in recent years to address this situation, many have missed the opportunity to equip students with the political skills necessary for meaningful participation in our democracy. This article details the results of a study designed to assess the effects of participation in a Social Issues Fair (SIF) on students' perceived relevance of the SIF, individual efficacy, political understanding, political deliberation skills, and strategic action skills. In addition, the study sought to explore differences in the dependent variables by participant sex. Findings demonstrated no significant differences between presenters and audience members who participated in the SIF; however, there were significant differences by sex. Specifically, women in the sample reported significantly higher means on the relevance, efficacy, and political deliberation skills measures. Finally, significant, positive correlations were found between perceived relevance of participation in the SIF and all of the political engagement learning outcomes. Overall, findings indicate that the pedagogy of political engagement can play a vital role in general education programs as a means of educating students for democracy.
Civic education has long been a goal of liberal education, and many institutions are renewing their commitment to meaningful civic engagement as both a philosophical and educational goal of higher education. Civic engagement and media literacy are essential to fostering democracy. This chapter outlines the shared ideological and pedagogical approaches to civic and political engagement and its connection to media literacy education. The 2016 election cycle has presented a number of challenges for civic engagement and media literacy educators. Many of the core values and beliefs related to critical thinking and information literacy have been challenged.
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