Celebrity Social ResponsibilityThis inquiry leads students through an investigation that assesses the extent to which celebrities and public figures have a social responsibility to give back to the communities and take stances on controversial issues. The inquiry provides students with the chance to explore the current ways celebrities influence society and the risks those celebrities face when they take public stances on social issues. Although this compelling question is broad, the inquiry centers on Latinx and African American celebrities. This strategic use of sources is particularly useful in showing the ways that some minority groups in the United States can use their celebrity status to impact American society.
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Civic Action ProjectThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of how they can make an impact on their community. By investigating the compelling question, students examine an issue that is important to them, assess what can be done to help with the issue, plan ways they can take action on their issue, and evaluate potential challenges. By completing this inquiry, students begin to understand ways in which they can be citizens and take informed action in meaningful ways.
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Democracy in Danger: Immigration PolicyThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of historical and contemporary US immigration policy and how the policies stack up against the idea that United States is a “nation of immigrants.”. It is part of a series of lessons commissioned by the Democracy Project at the University of Virginia centered around the podcast Democracy in Danger. Democracy in Danger lessons share some basic characteristics. The compelling question will always start with the stem– “What should we do about .. because that is an essential question we must ask of all of our citizens. In this case, the issue at hand is the United States’ response to international migration, asylum seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants living within its borders. Additionally, Democracy in Danger lessons will lead students through a problem analysis characterized by the 4A approach (assess the problem, analyze the causes and effects of the problem, address potential solutions to the problem, act on a potential solution. We hope to make this type of problem analysis process a routine that young people can transfer to any new challenge that we face in our democracy and that it will pave the way for healthy deliberation with their fellow students, to collaboratively act together, and to forge healthy civic relationships that will strengthen our democracy
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Democracy in Danger: Mass IncarcerationThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of historical and contemporary social, political, and economic issues posed by mass incarceration. It is part of a series of lessons commissioned by the Democracy Project at the University of Virginia centered around the podcast Democracy in Danger. Democracy in Danger lessons share some basic characteristics. The compelling question will always start with the stem– “What should we do about .. because that is an essential question we must ask of all of our citizens. In this case, the issue at hand is the impact of mass incarceration on United States communities. Additionally, Democracy in Danger lessons will lead students through a problem analysis characterized by the 4A approach (assses the problem, analyze the causes and effects of the problem, address potential solutions to the problem, act on a potential solution. We hope to make this type of problem analysis process a routine that young people can transfer to any new challenge that we face in our democracy and that it will pave the way for healthy deliberation with their fellow students, to collaboratively act together, and to forge healthy civic relationships that will strengthen our democracy
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Democracy in Danger: Polluted MediaThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of what can be done about our polluted media environment. The inquiry uses an ecological metaphor to understand our media environment to better understand the causes, effects, and potential solutions to addressing the problem. The inquiry sets up a dichotomy in the ways to potentially address the problem. In essence it gets students to consider what would be more effective– regulation the producers of media content or educating the consumers of this polluted media environment.
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Democracy in Danger: Political ExtremismThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of the challenges posed by hate groups to young people as a lens for understanding the problems posed by xenophobia more broadly. It is part of a series of lessons commissioned by the Democracy Project at the University of Virginia centered around the podcast Democracy in Danger. Democracy in Danger lessons share some basic characteristics. The compelling question will always start with the stem– “What should we do about .. because that is an essential question we must ask of all of our citizens. In this case, the issue at hand is the recruitment of young people by hate groups. Additionally, Democracy in Danger lessons will lead students through a problem analysis characterized by the 4A approach (assess the problem, analyze the causes and effects of the problem, address potential solutions to the problem, act on a potential solution. We hope to make this type of problem analysis process a routine that young people can transfer to any new challenge that we face in our democracy and that it will pave the way for healthy deliberation with their fellow students, to collaboratively act together, and to forge healthy civic relationships that will strengthen our democracy.[1]
[1] Levine, P. (2016). The Question Each Citizen Must Ask. Educational leadership, 73(6), 30-34.
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Gender Wage GapThis twelfth grade annotated inquiry leads students through an investigation of a hotly debated issue in the United States: the gender wage gap. The compelling question “What should we do about the gender wage gap?” asks students to grapple not only with how to quantify and interpret the gap but also to consider ways of addressing the problem. Throughout the inquiry, students consider the degree to which economic inequality reflects social, political, or economic injustices or whether it simply reflects individual choices and the role the government should play in decreasing income inequality. Although this inquiry is rooted in a question about economics, no social issue is fully understood without examining a range of economic, historical, geographic, and political concepts in order to craft a full-bodied, evidence-based argument. This inquiry looks at the complexity of the gender wage gap issue through all four social studies disciplines. Students examine the structural factors that influence women’s choices as well as historical (e.g., Equal Pay Act of 1963) and pending (e.g., Paycheck Fairness Act) legislative efforts. Ultimately, students must find a way to measure the gender wage gap, determine if it is an issue worth addressing, and, if so, how to best address it, including private and public sector solutions.
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Global IssuesThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of global citizenship, global cooperation, as well as how local solutions have been used to solve shared global issues. The inquiry is designed to open students’ eyes to their role as global citizens. It is also designed for students to uncover the similarities in issues faced by rural American citizens and citizens of developing countries. Students investigate glocal problems, issues demonstrating global interconnectedness. They examine local solutions that have been applied globally and consider the role of global cooperation in bringing solutions to those problems. Finally, students assess the effectiveness of global cooperation in solving shared issues. These tasks prepare students to write an evidence-based argument that addresses the compelling question: How do local communities solve global problems?
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ImmigrationThe goal of this inquiry is to help students develop their thinking in terms of continuity and change through learning about US immigration policy actions and their effects over time. By examining whether there is anything new about current immigration policy debates, students compare and contrast the discourse around immigration at three key moments in US history—the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the Immigration Act of 1965—with the current immigration policy. Students need to develop a deep understanding of each of the three policies in order to write a thoughtful argument that analyzes continuities and changes in perceptions of and policies regarding immigration throughout the post–Civil War period of US history.
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InternetThis inquiry leads students through an examination of modern day United States and global politics by investigating the Internet’s role in either helping or hampering democratic processes. By investigating the compelling question, students consider the impact of increased access to information (and misinformation) on the political process, how it shapes political discourse on the individual and public level, its role in democratization of information on the global stage, as well as how students see these features impacting their own political interactions.
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Policing ReformIn this inquiry, students investigate police and policing reform in historical and modern contexts. Framed by the compelling questionㄧHow should we reform policing?ㄧstudents explore the form and function of policing in order to evaluate reforms and create their own reform policy proposal. First, students examine the purpose of policing, considering the role police play in communities. Next they explore the ways in which policing has changed over time. Building from their investigation into policing’s history, students assess accountability measures that “police” the police. Finally, they review research implications and data to consider whether modern policing is crime control or social control. This inquiry prepares students to write a policy proposal that proposes police reforms.
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Social MediaThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of rights and responsibilities involved when posting to social media. By investigating the compelling question “Social media, why can’t I post that?”, students evaluate the power of the written word, its effect on others, and civic responsibility toward others. The formative performance tasks build on knowledge and skills through the course of the inquiry and help students understand there are limits to freedom of speech when it adversely affects others. Students create an evidence-based argument about those limits and why they should not post anything they want whenever they want.
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Super RichThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of the intensification of economic inequality. By exploring the compelling question “Can we afford the super-rich?” students evaluate the historical trends and consider the epidemiological, political, and socio-environmental consequences of escalating economic inequality. The formative performance tasks build on knowledge and skills through the course of the inquiry to help students understand the influence of the super-rich on the lives of others through a progressively expanded lens of economic inequality, mental and physical health, democratic processes, and climate change mitigation efforts. Students create an evidence-based argument about why we cannot afford the super-rich or why the super-rich do not pose a risk to society and the environment in which humanity is embedded. Though students can complete the inquiry with the provided sources, teachers are encouraged to have students research the supporting questions to supplement them.
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