Resources for Talking about Democracy

At CSUSM, we are committed to developing student knowledge and skills to engage in a healthy democracy through opportunities for civic dialogue and direct engagement with local issues, both on and off-campus. 

Ownership of diversity, educational equity and social justice is a shared responsibility that every member of the CSUSM community must be actively engaged in for democracy to be fostered and maintained.

Below are resources to guide conversations about democracy. 

Discussing the Jan. 6 Insurrection at the U.S. Capital

• Teaching Tolerance: Let's Talk!
  
  • Resources on how to lead conversations after a crisis.
• PBS NewsHour Extra: Teacher and Student Resources
  • Outlined are Three Ways to Teach about the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in your class.

• The New York Times: Learning Network
  

  • Lesson plan ideas, activities and Times materials for exploring the causes and consequences of this assault on democracy in the United States.

• Facing History and Ourselves: Educator Resources

  • Teaching Ideas, Explainers, strategies and other resources for addressing current events and tough topics with your students.

• The Washington Post: January 6, 2021 Events Timeline
  
  • A visual timeline of four-hour insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Civic Engagement Programs

CSUSM Curated Resources

• Office of Inclusive Excellence
  • The Office of Inclusive Excellence leads CSUSM's institutional commitment to inclusive excellence by contributing resources, initiatives, centers and regular events.

• Student Health and Counseling Services Drop-in Services

• In Solidarity & Anti-Racism Resources

• Racial Trauma, Resiliency and Ally Resources

• #BlackLivesMatter Resource Guide

• After the 2020 Election Resources

National Resources 

• Making Space for Difficult Conversations
  
  •  Members of the Harvard University's Graduate School of Education faculty offer guidance and resources to structure and support the conversation around the insurrection, its causes, and its potential fallout.

• Facilitating Difficult Election Conversations
  
  • Prepared by Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, associate director of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement, to support faculty, staff, Resident Advisors, and students to engage in constructive conversations around the 2020 Elections, regardless of the outcomes.

• TedTalk Videos: How to Turn the Political Conversation Around
  • Insightful talks that can help improve political debate so that we can build toward a better society.

• Anti-Oppression: Anti-Racism Guide
  
  • This guide is intended to provide general information about anti-oppression, diversity, and inclusion as well as information and resources for the social justice issues key to current dialogues. Curated by Simmions University library.

• 76 Things You Can Do to Boost Civic Engagement
  • The Brookings Institution developed a bucket list for engaged citizenship with this comprehensive list divided into five civic action categories. The bucket list provides specific and practical actions that we all can take to be an involved citizen. 

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If you have suggestions for resources to be listed on this page, email the Department of Service Learning and Civic Engagement,  CivicEngagement@csusm.edu. 

Conversation Guides

• Talking Across Divides: 10 Ways to Encourage Civil Classroom Conversation On Difficult Issues

• Framing Civil Discourse. 

• Council of Care: Our Space Resources to promote self-care during challenging times.

• Using the "Oops. Ouch. Whoa." Method for hard Conversations.

• Media Literacy and Civility activity.