Civics 101

The eyes of the world in recent years have witnessed a steady spectacle of democracy. In Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Africa and Latin America, we have seen hardwon struggles for freedom give way to the hard lessons of making democracy work. In many newly open societies, official corruption, economic crisis, election fraud -- even voter apathy -- have provided a quick reality check against simplistic rhetoric. From our vantage point of stability and prosperity, some U.S. observers have appeared oddly surprised by these reminders that there is more to the democratic process than casting and counting votes.

Now, the spotlight turns our way, into that most sacred of secular spaces -- the voting booth. And, once again, the prevailing public discourse offers only a narrow window into the real issues at hand. Many educators recognize in the election impasse a teachable moment of rare significance -- an opportunity to dismiss the exit polls and instantaneous projections, to scrutinize the electoral process in slow motion, under a microscope. But we shouldn't let the hair-splitting in Florida distort our sense of scale.

In symbolic terms, to mark a ballot is to claim one's freedom. Yet this private act acquires its true meaning not as an isolated ritual but as the midpoint of a process -- preceded by informed debate and followed by a commitment to work out the differences voting reveals. The events of Fall 2000 call us to remind ourselves and our students that the defining interaction of our public life is not competition among candidates before an election, or transactions among attorneys afterward, but discussion among citizens all along the way.

As Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen observes in his book Development As Freedom, "The achievements of democracy depend not only on the rules and procedures that are adopted and safeguarded, but also on the way the opportunities are used by the citizens."

Connecticut College, in New London, Conn., is one of many institutions quietly promoting a paradigm shift in the way we "do" democracy. In a pair of handbooks published by the college -- Democracy Is a Discussion (I and II) -- editor Sondra Myers has assembled readings from a variety of international sources, along with discussion questions to help classrooms and book groups explore the deeper meanings of civic engagement.

Czech scholar Erazim Kohák notes in the first handbook that "democracy is about the willingness to accept responsibility for the common ourselves."

To the amazement of many global neighbors, the election controversy has affirmed rather than impaired the durability of our democracy. But the "common ourselves" appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle. The teachable moment has only just begun. To order your copy of the Democracy Is a Discussion handbooks, contact Close Up Publishing at (800) 765-3131.