The Ginsberg Center has gathered and adapted numerous course exercises on civic engagement topics. Some of these exercises allow students to practice democratic processes in order to develop democratic habits, while others support students engaging with socially relevant topics. All of these exercises can be applied to most course topics in a variety of disciplines.
The activities range in length from a portion of a single course session to whole terms. We have also tagged each resource to show which Pathways it supports. Almost all exercises can be done both virtually and in-person; however, all of them cannot be done asynchronous to the same effect. To that end, we have rated how adaptable each exercise is asynchronous learning on a scale of yes, not recommended, and no.
We offer additional civic learning tools on this page. To work with a Ginsberg staff member on any of these activities, please complete our Support Request Form or contact us at [email protected].
[ACTIVITIES TO ESTABLISH CLASSROOM CULTURE & EXPECTATIONS]
Voting on Course Policies
Students reflect on previous classroom experiences and share them with the class. The instructor leads a discussion to get students to agree upon standards for the class which are voted on as a bloc. Students then reflect upon the final document.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance, Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
What Did You Know and When Did You Know It?
Students investigate how their knowledge and views of a topic have changed over time: in elementary, middle, high, and university levels of education. Students then consider the causes of changing views.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (topics can be adjusted for course or program content)
Consensus vs. Majority-Dissent Decision-Making
Students engage in and compare two forms of democratic decision making: consensus decision making and majority-dissent decision making.The goal of this exercise is to get students to think critically about how decisions are made at a group level.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (topics can be adjusted for course or program content)
Web Literacy and Fact Checking
Students bring to class three sources that support/refute a claim found on social media. Students in class discuss what they found and the ease or difficulty of verifying a claim. They then reflect on how to practice web literacy regularly.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (students can select topics of interest to their discipline)
Keeping a Reflection Journal
Students reflect on what course materials and goals mean beyond the classroom and how course discussion, topics, and readings impact, relate to, and differ from their own experiences and non-academic forms of knowledge.
Time Required: Several weeks
Asynchronous Learning? Yes
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
[ACTIVITIES TO STRUCTURE OR DEBRIEF DISCUSSIONS]
What is a Citizen?
The goal of this exercise is to get students to compare and contrast and give a critical argument about terms relating to civil association and the implications of those terms.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Yes
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, Humanities
Shared Text/Comment
Students read and react to a source, then share their reactions in a small group. This exercise allows them to practice listening to the positions of others and develop empathy by trying to understand how someone’s positionality led them to a particular reaction.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Community Organizing and Activism, Direct Service
Best for: Social Sciences, Humanities
Social Media Discussion
Students break down social media content, assess its function and message, reflect on that process, and use that reflection to influence their own social media usage. This exercise encourages students to think about how social media can be used as a platform for thoughtful, respectful, and productive conversations about ongoing issues impacting them and their communities.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Yes
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (students can select social media posts of interest to their discipline)
What Should Democracy Look Like?
Students pick their top three aspects of a democratic society and discuss in pairs why they made those choices. Students then come together as a group to consider the implications of their choices.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
What Does Community Membership Mean?
Students think about what it means to be a member of the community and consider how they want to act as a member of the university community.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, Humanities, other discussion-based or group-based courses or programs
[ACTIVITIES TO MOVE TOWARDS ACTION]
Ask a Big Question
Students are asked to acknowledge the limits of the world around them, see how they might want to change it, identify how those wishes might differ from those of others in the classroom community, and how the acknowledgment of other’s wishes impacts their choices.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, Humanities
Mapping Polling Places
Students are asked to identify the location of a/their polling place and consider what factors influence the choice of the polling place.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Yes
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
Ordinary People
Students examine the role of ordinary individuals in creating change through the use of a case study. Students are then asked to deconstruct how individuals helped, permitted, or halted change, examine the implications of those people’s actions, and reflect on their own behaviors.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community Organizing and Activism, Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (can select events relevant to history of discipline)
What Does the Student Government Have to Say?
Students pick a topic and look up what the student government (or similar body) has said on the issue. Students bring their findings to class and share with a small group. Students then write a mock op-ed based on their findings.
Time Required: One class
Asynchronous Learning? Yes
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
Community Meeting
This exercise encourages students to engage with people from a variety of racial, class, and educational backgrounds about topics that impact both the campus and town communities.
Time Required: Several weeks
Asynchronous Learning? No
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community-Engaged Learning and Research, Policy and Governance, Community Organizing and Activism
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities (can choose topics relevant to course or program discipline)
Accessing Community Resources
This exercise asks students to locate, assess, and critique on-campus resources in order to practice the habit of public comment. This exercise may be especially useful for first-year or transfer students as it helps them identify resources that may be of use while on campus.
Time Required: Several weeks
Asynchronous Learning? Not recommended
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community Organizing and Activism, Policy and Governance, Direct Service
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities
Contacting Change Makers
Students practice identifying a local concern, conducting research and forming solutions around the concern, and getting in contact with someone who has authority over the issue. By practicing this habit in a safe classroom environment, students can develop skills in research, advocacy, and respectful negotiation.
Time Required: Several weeks
Asynchronous Learning? No
Pathways to Civic Engagement: Community Organizing and Activism, Policy and Governance
Best for: Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities