Open Educational Resources to Supporting a Thriving Democracy

This collection is provided to the larger educational community for use in their courses across multiple disciplines. Created by several cohorts of "Civic Engagement and Voting Rights Teacher Scholars" supported by the Mellon Foundation, these materials consist of full course syllabi, course assignments, and in-class activities across several humanities, social sciences, general education, and interdisciplinary areas of study. These ready-to-deploy materials help faculty to integrate course content with real-world issues impacting democracy, civic engagement, voting rights, and other civic-oriented topics.

This is an open-access collection distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 4.0

For more information on the program, see the program website.

For more information on the Teacher Scholars Cohort 1, see the link with their bios.

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Landis - American Democracy

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COURSE SYLLABUS - American Democracy A Draft Syllabus Outline for a University-Level, Advanced Undergraduate Course, Michael Landis

Ragusa - Charleston Classroom: Race, Elections and American Politics in the Holy City

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Charleston Classroom: Race, Elections and American Politics in the Holy City, Jordan Ragusa

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Walking Tour #1 - Memory, Jordan Ragusa

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Walking Tour #2 - Education, Jordan Ragusa

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Walking Tour #3 - Resistance, Jordan Ragusa

Presgraves - Citizen Science and Scientist Citizens

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Course Syllabus: Citizen Science and Scientist Citizens, Jenny Presgraves

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - Citizen Science Website Evaluation Instructions, Jenny Presgraves

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - Who Regulates This?, Jenny Presgraves

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TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT - Science and Storytelling, Jenny Presgraves

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TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT - Science Policy Memo, Jenny Presgraves

Wood - Civic Engagement and Learning for Democracy

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ACTIVITY - Threats to Democracy, Russ Wood

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ACTIVITY - Voting Rights and Gerrymandering for College Students/Youth Voters, Russ Wood

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ASSIGNMENT - Lincoln and a Theory of Civic Engagement, Russ Wood

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ASSIGNMENT - Political Bullshit, Russ Wood

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STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (SDV) MODULE - Civic Engagement and Learning for Democracy, Russ Wood

VanGorder - Key Issues in State and Federal Constitutional Government

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ACTIVITY - Imagining Historical Civic Life, Megan VanGorder

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITY OR ASSIGNMENT - The Constitution and Voting: A Guided Reading Tool, Megan VanGorder

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITY OR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT - Federalism Flares: Connecting Civic Concepts to Current Eve, Megan VanGorder

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Key Issues in State and Federal Constitutional Government, Megan VanGorder

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FINAL PROJECT - Informed Action through Community Engagement, Megan VanGorder

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How Is Land Claimed in the United States?, Megan VanGorder

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UNDERGRADUATE INQUIRY - How Is Land Claimed in the United States?, Megan VanGorder

Sapra - Democracy in Action

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ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES FOR FINAL GROUP PROJECT - Digitally Amplifying and Preserving Refugee Experiences and Perspectives, Sonalini Sapra

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ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES FOR FOOD JUSTICE WORK - Exploring Food Justice through Community Engagement at Guilford College Farm, Sonalini Sapra

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Democracy in Action, Sonalini Sapra

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LEARNING ACTIVITY # 1 The Underground Railroad Trail at Guilford College: Examining Justice and Citizenship, Sonalini Sapra

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LEARNING ACTIVITY # 2 Civic Engagement and Political Awakenings, Sonalini Sapra

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LEARNING ACTIVITY # 3 Intersectional Story Circles and Fostering Deep Belonging, Sonalini Sapra

Woodward - Foundations of Community and Civic Engagement

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ASSIGNMENT - Asset-Framing in Community Problem-Solving, Andrea Woodward

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ASSIGNMENT - Civic Engagement Checklist, Andrea Woodward

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ASSIGNMENT - Having a conversation with someone about an issue over which you disagree, Andrea Woodward

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ASSIGNMENT - Podcast Episode on a Public Issue of Importance to You, Andrea Woodward

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ASSIGNMENT - Social Movement Presentation, Andrea Woodward

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Foundations of Community and Civic Engagement", Andrea Woodward

Deas - America's Founding Documents: The Foundation for Civic Engagement

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Civic Engagement Active Learning Activity 1, Kendall Deas

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Civic Engagement Active Learning Activity 2, Kendall Deas

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Civic Engagement Active Learning Activity 3, Kendall Deas

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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT #1 - Beyond the Classroom Activity, Kendall Deas

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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT #2 - Historical Document Analysis Exercise, Kendall Deas

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COURSE SYLLABUS - "America’s Founding Documents: The Foundation for Civic Engagement", Kendall Deas

Hamblin - Graphic Democracy: Cartoons, Comics, and Voting Rights in America

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ACTIVITY AND ASSIGNMENT - Data Comics and Gerrymandering, Sarah Hamblin

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ACTIVITY AND ASSIGNMENT - Deliberative Dialogue, Sarah Hamblin

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ACTIVITY Campaign Finance, Dark Money, and Comics Journalism, Sarah Hamblin

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ACTIVITY - How to Close-Read Comics: Youth Voting and the 26th Amendment, Sarah Hamblin

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ACTIVITY - The Civil Rights Movement: Black Voter Registration Comics, Campaign Comics, and Civil Rights Memoirs Discussion, Sarah Hamblin

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Graphic Democracy: Cartoons, Comics, and Voting Rights in America, Sarah Hamblin

Nabi - Information Design for Public Action

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ASSIGNMENT - Information Design Campaign Project, Hannah Nabi

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ASSIGNMENT - News Briefing, Hannah Nabi

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Information Design for Public Action, Hannah Nabi

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LEARNING ACTIVITY - Audience Profile and Purpose Analysis, Hannah Nabi

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LEARNING ACTIVITY - Document Analysis, Hannah Nabi

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LEARNING ACTIVITY - Elevator Pitch Presentations, Hannah Nabi

Hung - Introduction to Ethnic Studies

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ACTIVITY - DIY Ethnic Studies Lesson Plan Worksheet, Winnie Tam Hung

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ACTIVITY - Indigenous Land as Site of Liberation (in-class exercise), Winnie Tam Hung

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ACTIVITY - Pod Mapping and Reimagining Community Safety Exercise, Winnie Tam Hung

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ASSIGNMENT - Freedom School Asignment, Winnie Tam Hung

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ASSIGNMENT - Structural Analysis Reflection Assignment, Winnie Tam Hung

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Introduction to Ethnic Studies, Winnie Tam Hung

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Who's got your back? Pod Mapping and Community, Winnie Tam Hung

Garris - Introductory Psychology (Civic Engagement Emphasis)

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ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY - Critically Evaluating the US Census, Chris Garris

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ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY - Using Social Psychology to Get Out the Gen Z Vote, Chris Garris

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ACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY - You and Your Community: Considering Personality When Getting Involved, Chris Garris

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ASSIGNMENT - Democratic Discourse: Policy Letter to Your Representative, Chris Garris

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ASSIGNMENT - What’s Up with Democracy: A Qualitative Research Exploration, Chris Garris

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COURSE SYLLABUS - Introductory Psychology (Civic Engagement Emphasis), Chris Garris

Rutenberg - The City as History: Introduction to Public History

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ASSIGNMENT Capstone Project: Curating a Class Exhibit “A History of Voting Rights in Tennessee”, Patricia Rutenberg

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ASSIGNMENT - Comparing State and National Debates on Women’s Suffrage and Creating Your Own Speech/Debate on Women’s Suffrage, Patricia Rutenberg

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ASSIGNMENT - Comparing Voting Rights of the Constitutions of Tennessee, Patricia Rutenberg

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ASSIGNMENT - What do the US Constitution and Amendments, Federal and State Laws, and Landmark US Supreme Court Cases Tell Us About Voting Rights?, Patricia Rutenberg

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COURSE SYLLABUS - The City as History: Introduction to Public History, Patricia Rutenberg

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - Document Analysis of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Patricia Rutenberg

Bergland - On (Reimagining) Democracy

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ACTIVITY AND ASSIGNMENT - Imagine Your Democracy— Creative Writing Responses, Daneen Bergland

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ACTIVITY - Reimagine Democracy Poetry, metaphor, and civic responsibility, Daneen Bergland

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ACTIVITY - Testing the Citizenship Test, Daneen Bergland

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ASSIGNMENT - Power Literacy Project/Activity, Daneen Bergland

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COURSE SYLLABUS - On (Reimagining) Democracy, Daneen Bergland

Ludwig - Sociology of Gender

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ASSIGNMENT - Partial Final Exam, Bernadette Ludwig

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ASSIGNMENT - Policy Analysis Assignment, Bernadette Ludwig

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COURSE SYLLABUS - SO320: Sociology of Gender– S, UU, RR, W, Bernadette Ludwig

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - “Gender and Voting”— Intersection of Voter Participation and Priorities for Different Gender Groups, Bernadette Ludwig

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - Intersectionality Lecture— “Women Get the Right to Vote”, Bernadette Ludwig

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IN-CLASS ACTIVITY - Voter Education and Registration— Nonlegal Barriers, Bernadette Ludwig