As a part of my collaboration and work with the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States, I delivered a guest lecture
America@250: Opportunity for Civic Renewal
How can the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence be used as a much-needed opportunity for civic renewal in the US?
I began my presentation by reviewing the basic features of American constitutional democracy and its philosophical underpinnings as well as key elements of American political culture (liberty, equality, democracy). After discussing the declining civic health in the US and the vital civic mission of the university, I devoted most of my presentation to sharing "best practices" of civics education,
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The bulk of my presentation was devoted to a discussion of "best practices" for improving civics education. Some of the examples that we discussed include
1) The University of South Florida St. Peterburg Citizen Scholar Program
Citizen Scholar courses get students out of the classroom and into the community, working on projects that are related to the learning outcomes in the course.
We discussed ways that civic and community engagement can be incorporated into the curriculum in a way that improves student learning outcomes and benefits the community.
“Civic Engagement in the Online Classroom:
Increasing Youth Political Engagement in an Online American Government Course.”
Vol. 8, No. 1 (April 2019) eJournal of
Public Affairs, pp. 32-68.
We discussed potential projects that could enhance students' civic learning outcomes and improved civic efficacy.
The Citizen's Campaign/Citizen Service developed a Power Civics Curriculum, based on its 10 Steps of No Blame Problem Solving methodology:
https://thecitizenservice.org/
1- Identify your issue focus
2- Find out how the current policy works
3- Conduct evidence-based research
4 -Shape your solution
5- Make sure it is cost effective
6- Do the Doable
7- Get support from experts
8- present a ready-to-adopt solution
9- make a respectful presentation
10- Respectful pursuit – diplomatically push for adoption
This is a FREE curriculum that can be accessed online. It includes videos and a textbook -- and -- after passing the quizzes -- students can earn a certificate. https://thecitizenservice.org/
I have incorporated this 10 Steps of No Blame Problem-Solving method and the Power Civics Curriculum into a course assignment in my American National Government course and in my Florida Politics and Government course.
In the Florida Politics course, students were expected to develop their citizenship skills by becoming certified in the Leadership and No Blame Problem Solving curriculum. Then they worked together in groups to research public policy issues they care about in order to develop effective solutions. By the end of the semester, the groups presented their proposed solutions before relevant policy makers (City Council, School Board, etc.).
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| One of the student groups from my Florida Politics class presenting before the PSTA |
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| One of my Florida Politics students presenting before the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners |
One of the groups was able to secure free bus transportation for all veterans in Pinellas County -- for more than 80,000 veterans!
Note - I have a forthcoming article about integrating this project into course requirements/assignment. I will update this post with a link to the article as soon as it is published in January
“Using the Citizens Campaign “10 Steps of No Blame Problem Solving’ Method” to Teach Students How to Work with Policy Makers to Solve Community Problems.” The Political Science Educator Vol. 29, Issue 2 (Winter 2026).
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| Describing the 10 Steps of No Blame Problem Solving |
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| Watching the intro video to the Power Civics Curriculum |
I was so pleased with the response to the "No Blame Problem-Solving" approach. One Public Administration professor stopped by to see me during my office hours to let me know that he was already incorporating this approach in his classes. And several others approached me to let me know that they were going to adopt this mentality of "No Blame Problem Solving."
4) USFSP YMCA Civic Fellows Program
The USF St. Petersburg YMCA Civic Fellows Program is an award-winning partnership between the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and the YMCA Youth In Government (YIG) Program. This is a unique and innovative academic year-long program that brings college-level civics education to high school students served by the YMCA. Civic Fellows, who must be at least sophomores in high school, earn six hours of college credit through their participation, which includes monthly programming throughout the school year and a summer Civics Institute that connects the students to governmental leaders, community service opportunities, and leadership development programs. Assessment results demonstrate that students who participate in the USF St. Petersburg YMCA Civic Fellows Program have greater exposure to their government and express higher levels of engagement and interest in running for office than do peers without access to the program.
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| Listening to one of the high school students about what she got out of the USFSP YMCA Civic Fellows Program Summer Civics Institute |
For more, see this book chapter: “The USFSP-YMCA Civic Fellows Program: Developing University-Community Partnerships to Improve Civics Education.” Civic Pedagogy: Teaching Civic Engagement in an Era of Divisive Politics. Palgrave Macmillan 2024. https://link.springer.com/book/9783031551543
Additional Resources -- Strengthening Civic Engagement
The Good Citizen
https://www.goodcitizen.org/effective-and-involved-citizens/
We discussed how many of these suggestions could be adapted to the Ugandan context.
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| Looking at suggestions on the Good Citizen website |
Smithsonian American Democracy Exhibit
Democracy Reignited Publication:
https://floridahumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NIE_American_Democracy.pdf
I gave all participants copies of this publication (as well as copies of the US Constitution). You can download your copy using the link.
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| we had a Discussant for the presentation -- a Public Administration Professor - Dr. Aaron Ayeta Mulyanyuma - who kicked off our discussion |
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| speaking with the Center's staffer and PhD candidate Charles Tweheyo |
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| One of the Centter's Researchers -- Patience Itah - her research focuses on the impact of the Fulbright Program in Uganda |
