Civic Education and the Future of American Citizenship

Elizabeth Kaufer Busch is associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and founder and co-director of the Center for American Studies (CAS).Jonathan W. White is assistant professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University.

Lack of civic knowledge, ignorance about the U.S. Constitution, and general ambivalence about education threaten the fiber of this nation. The remedy to this malaise, advocated in various ways by a diverse group of contributors, is a well-rounded, liberal education that prepares citizens to participate in a free republic.

IntroductionElizabeth Kaufer Busch and Jonathan W. WhitePart I: Foundations of Civic and Liberal EducationChapter 1: The Inspiring Idea of the Common SchoolE. D. HirschChapter 2: Memory and Sacrifice in the Formation of Civic ConsciousnessWilfred M. McClayChapter 3: Polishing Barbarous Mores: Montesquieu on Liberalism and Civic EducationAndrea RadasanuPart II: The Changing Landscape of American Civic LifeChapter 4: American AmnesiaBruce ColeChapter 5: The Peer BubbleMark BauerleinChapter 6: Voter Beware: Responsible Voting in an Age of Political MarketingJeff Bergner and Lisa SpillerPart III: On the Ends of Liberal EducationChapter 7: Majoring in Servitude: The Liberal Arts and the Formation of CitizensJonathan YonanChapter 8: Education To What End-Vocation or Virtue?Peter A. BenolielChapter 9: "Reflection and Choice": The Liberal Arts and the Foundation of the American ExperimentJohn AgrestoAfterword: The Impoverishment of American CultureDana Gioia