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"Civic skills are the abilities necessary to participate as active and responsible citizens in democracy. They are necessary for critical thinking and collective action, and they include speaking, listening, collaboration, community organizing, public advocacy, and the ability to gather and process information" (Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools 2011).
"Civic engagement is an important part of Monroe Community College’s mission. From improving the local economy through unique workforce initiatives to helping young, at-risk students succeed personally and academically, MCC students, faculty and staff work tirelessly to make the Rochester area a better place to live, work and play for all of our neighbors" (MCC 2017).
How can you make a difference? Explore resources on civic engagement and how getting involved can improve your well-being and your community.
Looking to explore issues related to civic engagement? These and many other similar books and e-books are available at the MCC Libraries:
Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance
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The health of American democracy ultimately depends on our willingness and ability to work together as citizens and stakeholders in our republic. Government policies often fail to promote such collaboration. But if designed properly, they can do much to strengthen civic engagement. That is the central message of Carmen Sirianni's eloquent new book. Rather than encourage citizens to engage in civic activity, government often puts obstacles in their way. Many agencies treat citizens as passive clients rather than as community members, overlooking their ability to mobilize assets and networks to solve problems. Many citizen initiatives run up against rigid rules and bureaucratic silos, causing all but the most dedicated activists to lose heart. The unfortunate--and unnecessary--result is a palpable decline in the quality of civic life. Fortunately, growing numbers of policymakers across the country are figuring out how government can serve as a partner and catalyst for collaborative problem solving. Investing in Democracy details three such success stories: neighborhood planning in Seattle; youth civic engagement programs in Hampton, Virginia; and efforts to develop civic environmentalism at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book explains what measures were taken and why they succeeded. It distills eight core design principles that characterize effective collaborative governance and concludes with concrete recommendations for federal policy.
Neighborhood Change and Neighborhood Action: The Struggle to Create Neighborhoods that Serve Human Needs
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This book is an examination of neighborhood mobilization and engagement from the perspective of several disciplines: psychology, social work, political science, planning, and education. The essays included in the work examine both internal and external factors related to the ability of neighborhoods to meet the human needs of their residents. They address the constraints put on neighborhood mobilization by the local and international political economy, but they also show how those constraints can, in a number of cases, be overcome by effective action. They treat neighborhood engagement as an educational process through which residents enhance their skills and knowledge as they participate. Taken together, these essays provide a comprehensive and multi-faceted view of the issues facing contemporary urban neighborhoods.
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
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Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work--but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, which The Economist hailed as "a prodigious achievement." Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures--whether they be PTA, church, or political parties--have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe. Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam's Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do.
Democratic Rights: The Substance of Self-Government
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When the Supreme Court in 2003 struck down a Texas law prohibiting homosexual sodomy, it cited the right to privacy based on the guarantee of “substantive due process” embodied by the Constitution. But did the court act undemocratically by overriding the rights of the majority of voters in Texas? Scholars often point to such cases as exposing a fundamental tension between the democratic principle of majority rule and the liberal concern to protect individual rights. Democratic Rights challenges this view by showing that, in fact, democracy demands many of these rights.
Democracy: A Very Short Introduction
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No political concept is more used, and misused, than that of democracy. Nearly every regime today claims to be democratic, but not all 'democracies' allow free politics, and free politics existed long before democratic franchises. This book is a short account of the history of the doctrine and practice of democracy, from ancient Greece and Rome through the American, French, and Russian revolutions, and of the usages and practices associated with it in the modern world. It argues that democracy is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for good government, and that ideas of the rule of law, and of human rights, should in some situations limit democratic claims.
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
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Do not obey in advance -- Defend institutions -- Beware the one-party state -- Take responsibility for the face of the world -- Remember professional ethics -- Be wary of paramilitaries -- Be reflective if you must be armed -- Stand out -- Be kind to our language -- Believe in truth -- Investigate -- Make eye contact and small talk -- Practice corporeal politics -- Establish a private life -- Contribute to good causes -- Learn from peers in other countries -- Listen for dangerous words -- Be calm when the unthinkable arrives -- Be a patriot -- Be as courageous as you can.
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Flyers designed by the MCC Student Government Association (SGA) and posted on campus during Fall 2024.
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