The importance of civics for democracy

Recently, I attended an interfaith meeting focused on faith and foreign policy. It brought together leaders from political and civic organizations in Chicago, along with several faith leaders. The discussion naturally shifted, for many of us, to what those who believe in the community of believers should do about the current turmoil in the American government.

I believe that the answer is teaching civics. There is a decline in Americans’ understanding of how the U.S. government functions. It’s no surprise to me that, in a country where more people know about professional sports or the weather than how to change a law or deal with a situation they dislike, we see so much division and even violence.

One person stood up and said that “people don’t need to know to vote” and offered a different answer. I don’t believe all of America’s problems will disappear just by teaching high school and college or university students about the U.S. government.

However, in a system where political power is divided among three levels of government, people are foolish to think that change happens on the same schedule as picking up a McDonald’s order. They are also naive to believe that voting is anything other than essential. The idea of lawmaking in the American government system is that, unless there's an emergency, lawmaking does not happen quickly. National power, and Washington's power in particular, is limited compared to most other national governments. Much power was intentionally, if not uncontroversially, left to the states and the people.

According to the Hoover Institution, 42 of 50 states have some civics requirement for high school students, which may include a civics course (lasting either half a year or a full year) or an assessment. In most states, students are only required to do enough to pass the course, which in many cases would be a D grade. Two of the states require an assessment, but students are not required to pass it.

When we look at university and college students, the situation is much worse. I can only find three states (Texas, California and Nevada) that have a mandated requirement in their state constitutions. I remember that this requirement once existed in Illinois but was discontinued sometime in the last 20 years.

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, it’s disappointing that many states choose to remain ignorant of how the U.S> functions at a basic level. While numerous institutions include knowledge of the Constitution in their curriculum, there’s usually flexibility for students to skip civics if they’re not interested.

It's also notable that many Americans refer to government actions as “what they do,” using an anonymous third-person plural perspective. According to a Forbes article citing the U.S. Chamber Foundation, 70 percent of Americans have a limited or poor understanding of the American government and only 25 percent trust their own knowledge. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that many young Americans lack confidence in our government and eighth-grade civics understanding is at an all-time low. Many teachers believe that knowledge of the American government is less important than developing critical thinking and conflict resolution skills.

And thus, we develop a greater ability to criticize a system without first understanding its foundations or mechanisms. This often encourages scapegoating and discourages active engagement with legislation and legislative bodies. It also promotes the idea that the president needs to be a “strong leader." Additionally, for many, especially the educated, it fosters the notion that all conflicts can be solved mutually. If we all just get along, we believe we can resolve our differences peacefully. Heightened expectations don’t align well with irrational beliefs about government rooted in ignorance.

When people disengage from understanding and participating in their political system and government, it usually benefits those who are already successful. So does not voting. It also leads to the rise of demagogues in times of change and to failure to address persistent issues, often economic, at their roots. The presence of elitism based on income and wealth, along with the popularity of demagogic rhetoric on both the right and the left, should worry all Americans who value rationality and reason as guiding principles for politics and society.

I understand that Korean students study civics and that it now exists as a distinct subject in schools and universities. That is good, but I am unsure if the situation will be much different for Korea over time. As a relatively young democracy, the knowledge among voters, including younger voters, about resisting military rule and supporting elected leaders is very recent. Eventually, Korea will need to confront the challenge of preserving and expanding civic knowledge as well.

Here's hoping the people of the United States and Korea continue to preserve and expand their understanding of civics. Doing so can only help both nations sustain and strengthen our democracies.

Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and academic services at Chicago State University, and a professor of political science. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and a past visiting professor at Hanyang University.