PACE-C 300 is a course offered through the Political Action and Civic
Engagement (PACE) Program in the College of Arts & Sciences. Next
semester, the course is tied to the Themester and is titled Citizens
in Society: Good Behavior, Bad Behavior in Public Life. Here is a brief
description:
This course considers a range of
behaviors used by citizens to advocate and effect change in public life and the
effect of those behaviors on our public life. The course will focus on both
theory and practice in its consideration of “good” and “bad” public behavior;
we will pay particular attention to the relationship between context, intent,
action, and outcomes in our analysis and practice of public behavior, especially
as they related to the two following themes:
1.
The Information Commons. What is the relationship between
anonymity and good and bad behavior with regard to communication between
citizens and with regard to the sharing of public knowledge. How does the value
of privacy interact with the need for accountability? What would ‘better
behavior’ on the internet look like?
2.
The Political Commons. What is the relationship between
our electoral system and good and bad behavior in the political sphere? How has
the electoral system created certain patterns of behavior, good and bad? What
public behaviors are encouraged or curtailed by our electoral system? What
would ‘better behavior’ in the electoral process look like?
Though it is a 300-level course, I am hoping that it might be
appealing to incoming freshman – and other students-- who want to test the waters in a 300-level course and who
are interested in a course related to civic life, political discourse, and
behavior on internet.
Andrew Libby
Professor, Political Action and Civic Engagement Program (PACE)
Community Engagement Coordinator
Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (OVPUE)
Franklin Hall 004, Bloomington, IN 47405
(812) 856-5686
