Educating for Democracy

What is the purpose of education? Has it changed over time? If so, how and why?

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How has democracy evolved through history?

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What lies ahead for democracy and sustainability? Is it in crisis?

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What role has education played in democracy and sustainability? Can it (should it) be transformed to strenghen democracy and address climate change?

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If democracy and sustainability are in crisis, what could explain the reason for it?

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How can we reimagine education to empower students to interrogate and actualize the promise of democracy and promote a more sustainable planet?

How can we transform the educational status quo to create schools that effectively prepare students to become contributing and flourishing members of their communities and our pluralistic democracy? In this course, students will investigate the purpose of education, examine past and current educational innovations, and reimagine schooling by designing initiatives for K-12 students to learn democracy by practicing democracy in their everyday lives in ways that cultivate student agency, develop empathy, and give meaningful voice to all constituencies in school communities. *This Lab is part of the Create the Change and Cultivating Civic Virtues through Action series.

Collaborations

• Collaborators TBA

Educating for Democracy in the News

At the Humanities Lab, we strive to ensure our Labs are relevant and current. Here are some recent articles about Educating for Democracy in today’s news!

Democrats and Republicans on K-12 education: A comparison

What kids need to know about democracy in 2025