DOCUMENT RESUME ED 480 425 SO 035 277 AUTHOR Bragaw, Donald, Ed. TITLE The Democratic Process: Promises and Challenges. INSTITUTION Street Law, Inc., Washington, DC.; Social Science Education Consortium, Inc., Boulder, CO.; Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC.; Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA.; Constitutional Rights Foundation, Chicago, IL.; American Forum for Global Education, New York, NY. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. ISBN ISBN-0-94467-73-5 PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 230p.; A Resource Guide produced for the Democracy Education Exchange Project (DEEP). CONTRACT R304A010002B AVAILABLE FROM American Forum for Global Education, 120 Wall Street, Suite 2600, New York, NY 10005. Tel: 212-624-1300; Fax: 212-624- 1412; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.globaled.org/. For full text: http://www.globaled.org/ DemProcess.pdf. PUB TYPE Books (010) Collected Works General (020) -- Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Democracy; *European History; Foreign Countries; *Geographic Regions; Global Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Social Studies IDENTIFIERS *Europe (East) ABSTRACT When the Berlin Wall (East Germany) came down, it symbolically foretold the end of the Soviet Union domination of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This resource guide examines the process toward democratization occurring in those regions. The guide updates the available classroom material on the democratic process. It is divided into three sections: (1) "Promises and Challenges" (contains five essays and nine lessons); (2) "Voices of Transition" (contains eight essays and eight lessons); and (3) "Fostering a Democratic Dialogue" (contains 3 essays and eight lessons) .Includes six maps. Appended are:(1) Comprehensive Social Studies Assessment Project Standards;(2) CSSAP--Portfolio Project; (3)C. Title VI Centers with Teacher Resources; and (4)D. Democracy Education Exchange Project (DEEP). (BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. AIN AIM el API $61. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS 0 BEEN GRANTED BY F S/),IT TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement Cr) EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as . received from the person or organization originating a 0 Minor changes have been made to BEST COPY AVAILABLE improve reproduction quality CAn Points of view or opinions stated in this 2 document do not necessarly represent . The Democratic Process: Promises and Challenges 1 I , I ' 1 EDITOIUAL CONSULTANT Donald Bragaw PROJECT DIRECTOR Linda Arkin The American Forum, Inc. Constitutional Rights Foundation-ChicagoConstitutional Rights Foundation-Los Angeles Council of Chief State School Officers Social Science Education ConsortiumStreet Law, Inc. Funded through a grant from the United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement BESTCOPY_AVAll ARIP I THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS: PROMISES AND CHALLENGES A resource guide produced for the Democracy Education Exchange Project (DEEP) The American Forum, Inc. Constitutional Rights Foundation-ChicagoConstitutional Rights Foundation-Los Angeles Council of Chief State School Officers Social Science Education ConsortiumStreet Law, Inc. ISBN: 0-94467-73-5 Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement COVER DESIGN AND BOOK LAYOUT: SEYMOUR DESIGN GROUP, WHITE PLAINS, NY © 2003 The American Forum for Global Education The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (Award # R304A010002B). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DEEP Consortium or the U.S. Department of Education. AMEIUCAN FORUM FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION 120 Wall StreetSuite 2600 New York, New York 10005 Tel: 212-624-1300Fax: 212-624-1412 Email: [email protected] Web address: http://www.globaled.org 4 The Democratic Process: Promises and Challenges PREFACE Preface The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 symbolically foretold the end of the "Soviet" dom- and subsequent events, proved once again ination of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The H.G. Wells' pronouncement that "Human collapse of the monolithic communist state soon history is more and more a race between education followed, and by 1991 much of what was one and catastrophe." Today, the education that is cru- termed by Ronald Reagan as "the evil empire" had cial is that which promotes and strengthens emerg- disappeared. What emerged were independent ing democracies around the world and educates states with uncertain futures; states whose prom- Americans about the lessons from these emerging ised goal was democracy, but whose reality bespoke democracies. a lingering attachment to past practices. Dedicated to these twin goals, this publication Democracy, reputed to be the most difficult grew out of the Democracy Education Exchange governmental system to establish, is also devilish to Project (DEEP). Created in 2001 with funding operate and maintain. While the newly independ- from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of ent states profess democratic beliefs, the newly Educational Research and Improvement, DEEP emerged "democracies" have encountered endless sought to improve the quality of civic education difficulties trying to create the atmosphere and the both nationally and internationally through cooper- culture of democratic practice. Typically, students ative exchange programs with emerging democra- in the United States accept democracy, or demo- cies in the Newly Independent States of the former cratic practices, as a given at birth. Even the study Soviet Union. The DEEP Consortium, led by The of democracy in civics or history classes tends to be American Forum, Inc. in partnership with the routine and highly nationalistic in nature. For stu- Constitutional Rights Foundation-Los Angeles, the dents to discover that not all people or nations are Constitutional Rights Foundation-Chicago, Street living under the democratic banner is somewhat of Law, Inc.,theSocialScienceEducation a revelation. What may be even more revealing is Consortium and the Council of Chief State School that there is not one form of democracy, but many. Officers worked with teams from Armenia, Stillfurther, a key understanding for students Azerbaijan, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, should be that democracy is a developing system of Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, government, requiring time and patience to mature. Ukraine and Uzbekistan. What have we tried to accomplish in The When the Berlin Wall came crashing down it Democratic Process: Promises and Challenges ? Our THE AMERICAN FORUM FOR GLOBAL EDUCAT ON 3 The Democratic Process: Promises and Challenges PREFACE primary purpose is to "update" the available class- Studies, Harvard University; Daniel C. Waugh, room-ready materials. During the planning of University of Washington; Stephen E. Hanson, this guide, we found many excellent publica- University of Washington; and H. Michael tions. We have no wish to supplant these; rather Hartoonian, University of Minnesota. We are also we hope to supplement these books with addi- grateful for the generous support and assistance tional perspectives. This volume is not intended we received from Freedom House, a non-profit, as a prescription for teaching about democracy, nonpartisan organization, which continues to be but rather a resource book that teachers might "a clear voice for democracy and freedom around use to help them to understand the democratiza- the world." Next, we must thank our DEEP part- tion process going on in the former Soviet ners for sharing their stories and perspectives and Union, and how to begin helping U.S. students giving us the human side of life in the newly inde- grasp the major concepts of democracyas an pendent states. idea, as a system of government, and as a way of This publication would not have been possible life as found both here in the United Statesas well as in Russia, East Europe and Central Asia. without the leadership and vision of Donald This material can only begin that process; it is Bragaw who, as the Editorial Consultant, lived hoped that it will encourage teachers to add, with this project for more than 6 months. adjust and create, additional materials or lessons Without his effortsThe Democratic Process: of their own to accomplish the larger goal of Promises and Challenges would still be in the talk- democracy understanding. ing stages. Don was ably assisted by two young and talentedresearchers:Yegor Ivanov, an This resource guide has been divided into three exchange student from Russia and Leyla Safarova, major segments: Promises and Challenges, Voices a native of Azerbaijan and a graduate student at of Transition, and Fosteringa Democratic East Carolina University. Both of these individuals Dialogue. At the beginning of each section, there provided excellent initial research and offered are scholarly background essays followed by sug- insights into this publication. Fred Czarra,