Citizenship
and Civic Life
American
Civic Life: Historic Patterns,
Contemporary Changes
How
has the relative size/power of Government, Civil Society, Economy
in the US evolved over time?
Early
19th Century America
Late
19th Century America
Post-New Deal and Great
Society
Post-Industrial/Neo-Liberal/Suburban
Why was America uniquely
civic, according to Jefferson, Tocqueville?
**This
is important because it will help us understand how/why American civic life has
changed, diminished over time
Think
about, discuss
How
does the organization of economic life, i.e., how people make a living, their
economic status relative to each other, affect their ability to participate in
civic life, in politics?
Is
America still uniquely civic?
Compared to whom? Why or why
not?
Putnam on decline in
political participation
Putnam on decline in civic
(face-to-face) participation
What
is lost through decline in civic activity?
Why,
according to Putnam, is American becoming less civic?
What
is the remedy for AmericaÕs civic
decline?