Professional Learning Course Information: Civics, History and Media Literacy

Civics education has long been widely understood to be a vital part of the mission of American schools to prepare students to enjoy the rights and assume the responsibilities of citizenship.

Lauren Harris, an associate professor of history education at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, has been leading a project focused on advancing civics education. That project has generated a collection of outstanding professional learning courses and microcredentials in the areas of historical reasoning, civic reasoning, and media literacy. We call it Civics, History and Media Literacy.

Each course incorporates examples and resources that educators can use to guide students in civics, history and media literacy-related instruction. Learning outcomes include:
• Understanding how civic discourse is grounded in the principles of free speech, public debate and deliberation
• Comprehending that fostering civic discourse in the classroom develops students’ critical thinking, empathy, listening and speaking skills, and the ability to approach issues objectively
• Learning how primary sources and historical documents can be used as anchors for civic discourse, how to connect the past to current events and how to facilitate a civil and respectful deliberative experiences.

Register below for an online information session  to learn more about the courses. This information session is valuable both to individual educators interested in taking the course and to school administrators considering a subscription for multiple users. 

Time: 11 a.m. MST / 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT