"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Declaration of Independence 1776

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The latin roots of the word democracy is "demos" (citizens/people) and 'kratos' (power)

In this democratic-republic, the people (demos) exercise that power (kratos) in a number of ways - speech, press, assembly, petition, and most directly through voting.

In this Module we will examine all things related to Elections --

Voting, Ideology, Political Parties, and Partisanship.

Elections & Voting - we will take a closer look at the history of voting and current issues around it. You will find that accessing the vote have been and continue to be a fight for those who have been given access on paper, but not allowed to exercise it freely in practice.

In this module, we will also examine the shared roots of our political culture and what beliefs & values underly our Individual Political Ideologies. By the end of the module, my hope is that you have a clearer sense of what it means to be liberal or conservative, libertarian or authoritarian. And knowing that landscape will help you understand more about the current political dialogue in this country.

Finally we wrap up with a close examination of Political Parties & Partisanship. We will focus on the two major parties (Democrats & Republicans) and their impact on our gov't & politics. We will ask questions like what the the two parties stand for, why they seem to dominate our politics. We will also address the partisan divide paralyzing our society among Americans based on geography, politics, information bubbles and more. Most importantly, we will work on how to bridge those divides.

[Partisanship is a strong (sometimes blind) adherence to a political party/faction. A partisan will view politics & society through their political lens, often ignoring or dismissing facts or views that challenge their bias.]

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Here is a look at the lessons in Module 3:

Elections & Voting -

Mon 10/4 - History of Voting & Voting Rights Act we will examine what the history of voting in America was like prior to 1965 and cover some basic aspects about how elections work. We will take a close look at the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - why it was needed, how it has been gutted, and the battle over voting access since the Supreme Court case ruling.

Wed 10/6 - Current Events & Registering to Vote

Thurs 10/7 - Election 2020 & beyond - we will take a closer look at how the pandemic affected voting access in 2020, and how the charges of vote fraud will shape voting access in future elections.

Ideology & Political Parties & Partisanship -

Mon 10/11 - US Political Culture & Your Political Ideology - We will then outline the four main political ideologies we will use in this course. You will walk out with a clearer sense of where you stand on the political spectrum after today's lesson.

WED - 10/13 - ER TESTING DAY (no classes)

Thurs 10/14 - Two Party System & Major Parties - This lesson will ask why we have political parties, what they do, and understand the two Major Party platforms.

Mon 10/18 - Minor Parties Mixer & Multi-Party Representation - We will explore the world of minor parties, their core issues & values to see how their existence helps us better understand our political landscape. We will also see where you fit, if rather than Two major parties, we had 6 in a Multi-party system.

Wed 10/20 - Partisanship & Partisan News - you will compare & contrast two partisan news sources to see how each presents news through their political left-wing & right-wing lenses.

Thurs 10/21 - Civil Discourse - Using the values & tactics of non-violent civil disobedience, we look to the simple & powerful act of civil civic conversation to see a way forward from our deep partisan divide.

Mon 10/25 - Seminar Wrap up for Module 3 & Civics Foundation Unit Test Part 1 - Written - Be prepared for our Module 3 Seminar focused on Elections (voting, ideology, parties, and partisanship) with some level 2 & 3 questions. Also when you are not doing the seminar, you are working on your Civics Foundation Unit Written Assessment (Public Policy & Voting/Political Parties).

Wed 10/27 - Test Prep & Balloting Practice - We will do some brief review & prepping for the Foundations Unit Multiple Choice Test on Thursday. We will also practice balloting on a sample Shoreline ballot (if you are eligible to vote, feel free to bring in your actual ballot).

Thurs 10/28 - Civic Foundations Unit Test Part 2 - Multiple Choice & Begin Three Branches Unit - Let's 'Celebrate our Learning' as Mr. Bagley used to say. Once you are done with the Unit Test, you will begin some background work on our next unit - The Three Branches. Good times ahead!