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Educating Citizens: Preparing America's Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility

By Anne Colby, Thomas Ehrlich, Elizabeth Beaumont, and Jason Stephens. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.


Educating Citizens reports on how some American colleges and universities are preparing thoughtful, committed, and socially responsible graduates. Many institutions assert these ambitions, but too few act on them. The authors demonstrate the fundamental importance of moral and civic education, describe how the historical and contemporary landscapes of higher education have shaped it, and explain the educational and developmental goals and processes involved in educating citizens. They examine the challenges colleges and universities face when they dedicate themselves to this vital task and present concrete ways to overcome those challenges.

Through a grand tour of American higher education, Educating Citizens shows how institutions can equip students with the understanding, motivation, and skills of responsible and effective citizenship. The book includes rich examples from in-depth studies at twelve institutions and from a wide range of effective programs and approaches on other campuses. The authors' guidelines for implementing these programs can be applied in the full range of higher-education institutions.

Educating Citizens is essential reading for all who believe that higher education can play a critical role in the health of American democracy by helping students become responsible citizens of the nation, the world, and their own communities.

Educating Citizens is based on the findings of The Higher Education and Development of Moral and Civic Responsibility Project.

More Information

The Table of Contents, a sample chapter, and ordering information are available from the Jossey-Bass Web site.

Educating Citizens is used as a core text of the American Democracy Project, an initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The American Democracy Project Web site also provides a downloadable discussion guide that presents useful questions and information that might guide efforts enhancing the civic engagement of undergraduates.

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