Foundations of Democracy Elementary Student Book, Responsibility

The Foundations of Democracy Series consists of curricular materials for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade on four concepts fundamental to an understanding of politics and government: Authority, Privacy, Responsibility, and Justice. This multidisciplinary curriculum draws upon such fields as political philosophy, political science, law, history, literature, and environmental studies. The Authority curriculum helps students # distinguish between authority and power # examine different sources of authority # use reasonable criteria for selecting people for positions of authority and for evaluating rules and laws # analyze benefits and costs of authority # evaluate, take, and defend positions on the proper scope and limits of authority The Privacy curriculum helps students # understand the importance of privacy in a free society # analyze the benefits and costs of privacy # evaluate, take, and defend positions on the proper scope and limits of privacy The Responsibility curriculum helps students # understand the importance of responsibility in a free society # analyze the benefits and costs of responsibility # evaluate, take, and defend positions on how conflicts among competing responsibilities should be resolved # evaluate, take, and defend positions on personal responsibility The Justice curriculum helps students # understand and apply the basic principles of justice set forth in fundamental documents of our political and legal systems # consider fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of society # consider fair responses to remedy wrongs and injuries # consider fair practices for gathering information and making decisions # evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues of justice