EDUC X437 - Educating for Informed and Equitable Voting

Course Description

This course focuses on the critical role that schools and teachers across grade levels and content areas can play in promoting informed and equitable voting.  Preparing youth to participate in democracy is a key purpose of public education and voting is one important avenue of democratic participation.

Students in this course will learn about:

• Trends in youth voting, inequalities in turnout and misconceptions about youth engagement
• Explore key approaches to voter mobilization and civic education in order to identify what motivates young people to vote, and what strategies are most effective at informing voters about issues on the ballot.
• Educational resources and models for teaching about elections and voting in a non-partisan way.

Drawing on those models, students will identify approaches that will fit in their own educational context and outline a plan of action for their classroom, school, or district. Students will also have the chance to gather ideas and feedback from fellow students in the course.

The course was designed in partnership by UC Riverside’s Civic Engagement Research Group (CERG) and Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). 

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Civic Education for the Digital Age : Elective