Program Overview: Textbook Parameters

Dr. Margaret Stimmann Branson* and program staff reviewed the national civics standards, the international civics framework, and various state social studies standards. We also reviewed the National History Standards for World History. We met with Civics Mosaic teachers, specialists, and others in the profession; and we reflected on our own experience and intuition. Based on this extensive research, we set the parameters of our textbook.

First, we decided to write for the high school and middle school student enrolled in required courses that could benefit from a textbook on civics in comparative perspective. We found that there is little likelihood in an already crowded curriculum of a separately designated course on Comparative Civics. A much higher likelihood in the near future is the use of comparative civics as a complement to courses where it is the most relevant; namely, American Civics or World History.

Second, we decided to use a concept-based approach to the subject matter and a lesson-based approach to the format. Dr. Branson then took the lead in setting forth a sequence of core concepts and questions to guide the progression of lessons in our high school textbook. Based on this sequence, Dr. Branson then prepared a table of contents for a textbook of 7 units each-with an average of 6 lessons of approximately 10-15 final print pages.

Owing to the importance of World History in the middle school curriculum in many states, we have decided to produce a series of middle school lessons on comparative civics.

By focusing lessons on core concepts, we do not intend to eschew content. As our background paper on the comparative approach suggests-learning requires reliance on both concepts and content. To understand a concept like democracy, one needs to see how it works in practice in different cultural and temporal settings. Conversely, to understand concrete and particular cases, like the American and French Revolution, it is necessary to place them in a larger conceptual framework.

In Lesson 1, the high school textbook introduces the study of political systems in comparative perspective in terms of its scope and benefits. In Unit 1, the text examines the historical and philosophical foundations of politics and government. In Unit 2, we turn to two of the essential concepts of politics; namely, political power and authority in terms of their differences, sources, and distribution. In Unit 3, we look at political culture and its relationships with political socialization, economic development, and social change. In Unit 4, we turn to the rights, roles, and responsibilities of the individual in political systems. In Unit 5, we retain our focus on the individual, but turn to the concepts of representation and participation. In that unit, we examine individuals and groups in elections, civil society, and leadership. In Unit 6, we move back to the nation-state and consider how nations are governed and how public policy is made. Here, we focus on political institutions and the impact they have on governance and decision-making. In the final unit, we turn to the future of the nation-state in a rapidly globalizing world.

As high school units and middle school lessons are completed, they will be placed in draft form on this site for review and classroom use by readers.

Third, in presenting those concepts, we draw on a finite selection of countries for illustration and comparison based on the selection criteria of AP Comparative Politics. We have selected one or two countries from most sub-continents. Our list includes: the United States; Mexico and Brazil; Great Britain, France and Germany; Russia; Iran and Egypt; China, India and Japan; and Nigeria and South Africa. This mix allows us to compare countries that are similar and different in their political history, culture and institutions. By drawing from the same pool of countries, students will be able to deepen their understanding of selected countries; however, we do not claim country proficiency as a textbook goal.

Fourth, we focus primarily on contemporary political systems in historical perspective. We draw our examples and illustrations primarily from the period that includes the second half of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century-a period deeply scarred by World War II, the Cold War, and the current War Against Terrorism. However, we also include illustrations from earlier periods designed to increase student understandings of the historical and philosophical foundations of core political concepts and of selected political systems operative today.

Fifth, we use an array of comparative methods. We often begin the comparison process by drawing on a typology or another form of classification. We then may focus on a single case study, a binary (two-country) comparison, or comparison of several countries. We also draw on the findings of aggregate data analysis, including public-opinion barometers now used in different regions of the world.

Sixth, we draw as appropriate on a rich mix of materials. Our use of primary-source material ranges from classic works of political philosophy and religion to simple folk tales. Our use of public documents includes constitutional preambles, presidential speeches, legislation, court decisions, and census data. We also believe it is important to expose students to the world of scholarship. Students should have a working knowledge of individual scholars, like Robert Dahl, Francis Fukuyama, Samuel Huntington, and where they stand on the issues of the day. Toward that end, many of our lessons include a review of the essential scholarship of the subjects addressed in those lessons. We also believe that it is important to properly footnote those sources so that students see the value and format of citing references.

Finally, we reiterate the importance of political concepts in our work. Each lesson is organized around and guided by an essential concept; however, the development of each lesson centers less on conceptualization than on walking the student from general ideas to particular country examples and back again. Strengthening the fluidity of this movement between the world of political theory and the world of political application is one of the overarching goals of our textbook and the program of which it is a part.

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