Was a course in Amer. Govt. a requisite or an elective in your high school

[catmandu57]

It's been so long, but I seem to remember we either had to have an American history or Govt. course. I think that may be the root cause of so much political ignorance. A course in Government should be required for graduation.

[NMDemDist2]

1. it was called "Civics" and was a requirement for graduation n/t

[livetohike]

5. Civics at my high school too and

it was mandatory to take it in the 10th grade.

[annabanana]

6. When?

Is it still required? A lot of schools have dropped it.

[Warpy]

20. Civics, and it was the dullest, driest high school class

I had to suffer through. Although current events were supposed to be discussed, the ones worth discussing were picked by the teacher and the shape the discussion took was dictated by the teacher, who was a god-fearing fright wing North Carolina Baptist.

My paper on the election that year (Johnson vs. Goldwater) was a pen and ink drawing of the American eagle with a clothespin on its beak. The teacher was not amused, but my father has it framed and over his desk even now.

I was delighted that it was only a one semester course. I don't think I could have managed two.

[AngryOldDem]

44. Ditto

And I think it was only for a semester, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The class was run by an old right-wing teacher who I loved to provoke. The upside is, he came to respect my opinions as much as I came to respect his. That's the way it's supposed to work.

[lottie244]

52. We had required course in both American History and another in Civics.

Civics was about American government, the Congress, the states, the Constitution and amendments, voting, Fed budgeting. I was in high school in the late 50's.

[annabanana]

2. An AP course only........

At my son's high school, so, those most in need of the info probably won't get it. (Government)

[physioex]

3. Both were required for graduation in my HS.....

The root cause of laziness is not HS, its apathy. After all the purpose of school in my opinion is not to teach you to parrot a bunch of facts. Rather the ability to instill in a person the desire to explore, and read on your own. In my opinion most of the advanced learning occurs through your own self interest.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. It was called "Civics" and it is was required, as it still should be --

I think much of Gen X is ignorant of not only our government, and how it is supposed to work, but of our history.

[annabanana]

8. If I ran the world....

Every grade would have a Civics class... Every kid would know the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

[AngryOldDem]

46. A civics class....

...and a simple class on economics and how to handle money wisely.

[AspenRose]

51. Required for this Gen Xer to graduate

We had to memorize the Preamble. Most kids in our class sung it because they remembered it from "Schoolhouse Rock."

:-)

[LWolf]

7. Both were required.

In jr. high, in high school, and then again in college.

[annabanana]

9. again..

Are they still required? If not, when were they dropped from the curriculum?

[LWolf]

14. I'm not sure.

My last experience with curriculum requirements outside of elementary school was when my sons were in high school a decade ago. I remember 2 semesters of American History. I don't know if civics was part of that, additional, or required.

In elementary school, US history is taught in 5th grade and again in 8th. Eighth graders have to pass a test on the Constitution to graduate. The structures and functions of local, county, state, and federal governments are covered in every grade starting with 3rd grade. That's in my state of California.

[catmandu57]

10. Government was required in college

but at the time (early seventies) I don't think a civics class was, hopefully that's all changed now.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

29. How unusual to have government required in college!

I was an engineering major. I didn't take any government or history courses in college. We had general education requirements, and taking government/history would fulfill some of those requirements, but the gen ed requirements could be fulfilled in numerous different ways. You didn't necessarily have to take government/history.

[mcar]

11. It's requisite at my son's hs

Don't remember if I had to take it or not, but I probably did.

[DemBones DemBones]

12. Required. Civics in 9th grade, American

history in 11th. In American history, we also studied how the government is organized and the Constitution, were tested on what was in the Constitution, what each article said.

[Upfront]

13. Required

One of the best classes I had.

[olddem43]

15. Required by state law for graduation.

[Philostopher]

24. Is it still?

I suspect so, in Ohio -- they've required steadily more, not fewer, class credits to graduate here since I graduated over 20 years ago.

'General studies' (non college-bound) students took a civics class somwehere their junior or senior years, and the college prep kids took American government. Either way, there were at least two such credits required back in the early '80s. I don't think they've done away with that, either. Not only that, but the local vocational schools had to offer either a civics or government course as a prerequisite for graduation.

Not that I think this necessarily improved anybody's bullshit detectors, mind you, or that it does now either. The classes were required in Ohio, and I suspect still are.

[olddem43]

38. Don't know, but I also suspect it still is. I graduated in '61.

[cmd]

16. It was a requisite

and the best class I took in high school. I had a fantastic teacher who made us work for every grade. Thank you, Mrs. Frame.

[Blue Wally]

19. I was in high school 1953-1957

It was in Michigan. We had to have one year of World History, one year of US History, and one-half year of Civics/Government to graduate. If you were a college prep major, you also needed a half
year of Economics.

[cmd]

37. I'm sure the prerequisites varied from state to state

and even from school district to school district. I know that many of my friends from other Ohio schools took a similar course to mine, but it was named Civics. My district required Am. Govt.

[karlrschneider]

17. Civics in jr. high, ~1955 I guess. I think I absorbed it pretty well, and

agree it should be required. Probably couldn't now, but I used to be able to recite the Preamble, the Gettysburg Addr. and about half of the D of I.

[Jane Austin]

18. Requisite, but I'm an Oldie. :)

n/t

[pinto]

21. US History - 2 semesters, and US Civics - one semester, required. n/t

ed for accuracy.

[Joy Anne]

22. Problems of Democracy

was the civics course required in my Pennsylvania high school in the 1960s. It was supposed to include a 6-week economics unit, but the hard right teacher said all we needed to know is that communism is bad and capitalism is good. I suspect he knew nothing about economics and was too busy selling insurance on the side to learn.

A group called ACES, Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System, also was a big deal in my high school. They took us all on an educational field trip to Bell Telephone. We were a naive bunch of teenagers but not so dumb as not to know Bell was a monopoly, and we had a good laugh.

[tXr]

23. Required, but only one semester, senior year.

My teacher (Mrs. Payne!!) would hand out voter registration cards to students if they turned 18 while in her class. I have no idea if anyone who got the cards actually registered to vote (probably very few). I did not get a card from her, as I did not turn 18 until after I completed her class. Sadly, I did not register to vote until I was 22, then promptly voted for Ross Perot! :tinfoilhat: :silly:

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

25. It was worked into US history.

As part of US history we had an indepth look at the Constitution, so it was addressed, but not as a stand-alone course.

This course was required, yes.

We also had some "civics" type of electives.

[markses]

26. Participation in Government (affectionately, PIG) is required in NY State

One semester, usually in the senior year after 2 years of "global history" and one year of "American history." Or at least that's the way it worked when I was in HS (1987-1991). The only classes required for all four years in NY state are gym (8 units) and English (8 units).

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

27. Required for graduation

[sweetheart]

28. something like that or whatever

In high school, i had learned the trick to getting "A's", and it
is generally being a kisass and a mental whore... so i got an A.

I do recall 2 moments:

The teacher said we should debate about abortion, and i was not
prepared, so my friend explained the basics before class... that it
has to do with women getting pregnant and when "life" starts. That
was really easy. Leave women to choose their own body and thier
own lives... wow, self determination, hardly rocket science, even
for a high shool student.

Another time, we were to discuss a book that suggested russia was
a 3rd world country and we a first, because some people lived there
with outdoor plumbing and poverty. I dismissed the entire claim of
the book that the USA had plenty of outdoor plumbing and poverty and
that we were in no position to be judge of another...

otherwise, i learned nothing except getting an A for mimicing the
ideas of the teacher as a loyal liar.

[Nikia]

30. 1 semester governemnt was required

American history was required for a year and usually taken as a junior. Government was usually taken as a senior.
I got exempted from the senior semester since I had taken a government class at a college my junior year.

[Lone_Wolf]

31. It was required in my high school...

Way back in the 80's. The only problem with it was it was a sanatized version of U.S. Government. Basically, it taught only the best points about our government while giving little mention to the bad parts about it to indoctrinate us into thinking that the democracy we live in in the best and that no further improvements are necessary.

I would be totally for your idea of having it required only if Michael Parenti's "Democracy for the Few" was the required text or at the very least used for an opposing viewpoint.

[Cleita]

32. I had civics in the eighth grade but we were required to

have a year of American History in high school and also a couple of semesters in college. I really think there should be a required class on the Constitution, so that people have a working knowledge of exactly what it does and doesn't cover.

[greenbriar]

33. It IS required!!!!!!!!!!

still

[Cuban_Liberal]

34. American History, American Government and State Government

All 3 were required, as was passing a 'constitution test' covering both the State and US constitutions.

[mandyky]

35. In NY state only 3 years of Social Studies was required

but I do think our school had an elective Civics course for 12th graders who wanted the extra year of SS. Our entire school - K thru 12 - only had about 500 kids. My graduating class was 42 students.
HS for me was 1970 to 1973.

[liberalitch]

36. Gubment is a required in the system in which i teach

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

39. It was required

but that was in 1964.

[pstokely]

40. I had to take a 1 semester course

that was about 3 years ago

[TheRovingGourmet]

41. It was required for us and we had to learn all fifty states and

their capitals. I am still pissed off at much of the north eastern seaboard for that very reason. :)

[pstokely]

42. my HS is Missouri required 3 years of social studies in High School

had to take American History, World History, a semester of Government, and another semester of economics, probably still the same throughout the state

[nini]

43. Yes, and I wish I could take it again..

I think I'd appreciate it much more now than I did when I was 17 :-)

[AngryOldDem]

55. New Ad Campaign

I'd like to see MoveOn or another group come up with 60-second ad tutorials on how government works, to teach the masses what they should have learned in school.

Sort of like the "I Am A Bill" song on Schoolhouse Rock.

[RichardRay]

45. Required 40 years ago in Mass and Hawaii

I went to junior high and high school in Hawaii and Massachusetts. Civics was required in both places. Civics in Hawaii was taught by a Japanese veteran of WWII - from the Japanese Imperial Marines! The class in Massachusetts was much less interesting although I did manage to get kicked out several times for insisting on alternate perspectives on labor issues (my father was an active union organizer among newspaper staffers). That made it less boring :-).

My nephews who are in junior high and high school now report nothing of the sort is required anymore.

Richard Ray - Jackson Hole, WY

[FlaGranny]

47. I can remember studying

the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc., in grade school. We learned quite a bit about the government. We also studied US and world geography in grade school. We could pick out almost any country in the world on a map. This was in the 1940s, 50s. I had one full-year history class in high school, which included "civics." Also had a social studies class. Didn't take any college prep courses, though, only "work prep" courses, English, math, shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, etc. Graduated in 1957 in New Jersey. I never thought too much about college. I came from a small community where most of the women were housewives and I just assumed I'd be one too.

[GiovanniC]

48. Required But Utterly Worthless

I graduated in 1997. All Seniors had to take an American Government class for graduation. Our class consisted of mainly watching movies. Some VERY LOOSELY had to do with politics or government (eg, Forest Gump). Others had utterly NOTHING to do with politics or government (eg, Space Jam).

Collossal. Waste. Of. Time.

In college, I actually learned some stuff about government.

[Kid_A]

49. Government was required for seniors at my high school.

It was a great class that was basically nothing but debates on current events. I took it in the second half of the 2000-2001 school year, and nobody believed me when I said Bush has something up his sleeve involving a war someplace in the world. Nobody believed that the US would ever start a war without being provoked. Oh well...

[TahitiNut]

50. Looking at my (Michigan) High School transcript ('57-'61) ...

One year of "Social Science" in the 9th grade, one year of "American History" in the 11th grade, one semester of "American Government" in the 12th grade, and one semester of "Economics" (focus on GDP, iirc) in the 12th grade. (Four 'B's, an 'A' and a 'C'.) (sigh) :eyes:

These courses were 'required' for people on a college-prep track. IIRC, 'Social Studies' was, in effect, World History.

[JohnKleeb]

53. its required

When I was in 8th grade in 2000, we had a course called civics, this year our course is called Government, from having a couple of classes with the seniors last year I know for a fact they did a lot, like pretend congress's etc. Political Science which I am also taking though is an elective.

[kiahzero]

54. US Government was a requisite in VA 2 years ago (n/t)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

56. In ninth grade

mostly local and state government.