Table Of ContentTEACHING DEMOCRACY BY
BEING DEMOCRATIC
Theodore L. Becker, Richard A. Couto
Greenwood
PUBl~JSliIN Cf<O P
TEACHING DEMOCRACY
BY BEING DEMOCRATIC
Praeger Series in
Transformational Politics and Political Science
The Politics of Transformation: Local Activism in the Peace and Environmental
Movements
Betty H. Zisk
The Latino Family and the Politics of Transformation
David T. Abalos
Mediation, Citizen Empowerment, and Transformational Politics
Edward W. Schwerin
Strategies of Transformation Toward a Multicultural Society: Fulfilling the Story of
Democracy
David T. Abalos
Beyond Confrontation: Transforming the New World Order
Charles Hauss
TEACHING
DEMOCRACY BY
BEING
DEMOCRATIC
Edited by Theodore L. Becker
and Richard A. Couto
Foreword by James MacGregor Burns
Praeger Series in Transformational Politics
and Political Science
Theodore L. Becker, Series Adviser
IPIAAIECGIER Westport, Connecticut
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Teaching democracy by being democratic / edited by Theodore L. Becker
and Richard A. Couto ; foreword by James MacGregor Burns.
p. cm.-(Praeger series in transformational politics and
political science, ISSN 1061-5261)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-95552-4 (alk. paper). -ISBN 0-275-95553-2 (pbk.)
1. Democracy-Study and teaching-United States. 2. College
student government-United States. 3. Student volunteers in social
service-United States. 4. Community and college-United States.
5. Universities and colleges-United States-Public services.
I. Becker, Theodore Lewis. II. Couto, Richard A.
III. Series.
JC423.T33 1996
321.8'071' 173-dc20 96-20930
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1996 by Theodore L. Becker and Richard A. Couto
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 96-20930
ISBN: 0-275-95552-4
0-275-95553-2 (pbk.)
ISSN: 1061-5261
First published in 1996
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
@M
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword vii
James MacGregor Burns
Acknowledgments 1x
Introduction 1
Theodore L. Becker and Richard A. Couto
Part I: The Democratic Classroom 25
1. Students in Charge 27
William R. Caspary
2. Personal Empowerment 53
Louis Herman
Part II: Beyond Classrooms and Internships 75
3. Service Learning: Integrating Community Issues and the
Curriculum 79
Richard A. Couto
4. Applying Democratic Theory in Community Organizations 105
Richard Guarasci and Craig A. Rimmerman
vi Contents
Part III: Innovative Democratic Institutions within the
University 121
5. The Community Mediation Service: A Model for Teaching
Democracy and Conflict Resolution 123
Christa Daryl Slaton
6. Televote: Interactive, Participatory Polling 145
Theodore L. Becker
Afterword 163
Theodore L. Becker and Richard A. Couto
Bibliography 171
Index 177
About the Editors and Contributors 183
Foreword
James MacGregor Burns
Not long ago I had the kind of experience that Teaching Democracy by Being
Democratic illuminates. Some colleagues and I, concerned about the non
representation or underrepresentation of huge groups of Americans in Con
gress, convened a gathering of grass-roots or "cobblestone" leaders of such
groups. Women, African Americans, ex-offenders, "illegal" aliens, Native
Americans, and others accepted our invitation. Absent were teen-age rep
resentatives of the largest of nonrepresented groups in Congress-children.
My colleagues and I were aware that our leadership in calling this gath
ering gave us no commanding role in the discussion that followed. We had
agreed that we would merely start the meeting off and let the invited par
ticipants take over. Still, we felt we needed to state the assumptions that lay
behind the gathering. But immediately some of those assumptions were
challenged. Why did we take for granted that they wanted representation in
an irremediably "elitist" government? Why representation in Congress, that
hopelessly reactionary institution? Why try to begin a debate that would be
inevitably muffied or distorted by the media? And where were the children?
Most of all-and to our considerable surprise-the participants chal
lenged our assumption that we had some right or duty to convene this
meeting, because, inevitably, this assumption would color the nature of the
discussion. Who were we to do this? In vain we contended that we were
"only getting things started." A long discussion followed as the group
shifted the subject to their assumptions. The outcome was best expressed
by one of the African-American participants: "You called this meeting hop
ing we would join you-we will go ahead and let you join us."
viii Foreword
This incident illustrated one of the most daunting problems in the study
of leadership. That study has come a long way, of course, since the old-time
emphasis on the "man-on-the-white-horse"-almost always a white man on
that horse-approach to leadership. Now we think in more sophisticated
psychological and political terms about the intricate symbiotic relationship
between would-be leaders and their targets. Someone-the leader-must
take some originating action to set in motion the leadership-followership
interaction. But the originator does so-assuming a desire to attract a fol
lower-by estimating the wants, needs, expectations, or political attitudes
of the follower. In that interaction, who is really the leader and who is really
the follower?
All this also applies to the task of teaching democracy by being demo
cratic, for the teacher-student relationship is at heart a leader-potential
leader-relationship. Just as leaders ideally lead "followers" in such a way
that the followers become the leaders' leaders, so teachers teach students in
such a way that the learners become the teachers' teachers. To our infinite
joy, we teachers have all seen this happen. I can think of many students
whom I once mentored and who now mentor me.
This volume, with its concern for community organization, students as
collaborators, personal empowerment, the "community of need and re
sponse," and democratic organization, was written with a knowing eye for
modern leadership theory. But it also links this theory to practice. Teachers
and other readers will learn much about tested techniques in teaching de
mocracy by being democratic in the classroom. The authors do not senti
mentalize or idealize-they are tough minded about what works and what
fails to work. They are creative themselves in calling for imagination in the
classroom, as in their concluding chapter on the Televote.
Other approaches and techniques are detailed in this rich offering. They
include structuring a democratic classroom; democratic practices that em
power students; problem solving and community service that make the class
room a laboratory for democracy; and university-based programs of
democratic alternatives that serve the community.
Still, in the end, we have the dilemma of the trigger or spark that sets off
leading and responding, teaching and learning. Someone must get things
started, whether in a classroom or in an election campaign. The authors
have taken leadership in writing this volume-but in a way that will create
legions of new teachers and leaders in the classroom.
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to several people who helped us in very specific ways to
produce this book. Our contributors met deadlines and dealt with sugges
tions for revisions generously. Arlene Belzer, our production editor, ferreted
out our errors of omission and commission and clarified the expression of
many ideas in the book. The University of Richmond Faculty Research
Committee provided support for copying and mailing manuscripts. The Kel
logg Leadership Studies Project provided Couto a rich context for thought
and discussion. Charlotte Chandler and Judy Mable processed the manu
script and found elusive files on errant diskettes when necessary. Ashley
Broom and Anna Johnson helped in the last stage of manuscript preparation.
They brought "fresh eyes" and meticulous detail to the task of proofread
ing.
In a general way, we are indebted to the thousands of students and dozens
of colleagues who taught us by word and example. We dedicate this book
to them.
Inbetween these specific and general contributions are those of Dan
Eades, our intrepid editor. His vision helped initiate the Praeger Series on
Transformational Politics and Political Science. His commitment sustains it
and made this book possible.
