Creating Socially Responsible Citizens

Cases from the Asia-Pacific Region

Edited by:
John J. Cogan, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
David L. Grossman, The East-West Center

A volume in the series: Research in Social Education. Editor(s): Brad M. Maguth, The University of Akron.

Published 2012

This book originates from a collaborative research initiative to examine how various societies in the Asia-Pacific Region construct moral and civic education, and to what extent these systems achieve the democratic objective of creating socially responsible citizens. In many western societies there is at least a rhetorical tendency to separate the moral and civic dimensions of citizenship education, and in some cases to exclude the moral dimension from the discourse of preparing citizens.

However, as cross-societal dialogues and research about citizenship education have increased in the past two decades, scholars have identified differences in the emphasis put on the moral dimension of citizenship education across the Asia-Pacific region. In many predominantly Confucian, Islamic and Buddhist societies, for example, the emphasis on the moral dimension of citizenship education is explicit, and in some cases, central.

While awareness of a divide, or perhaps more appropriately a continuum in the role of moral versus civic education in democratic societies has been recognized for some time, to our knowledge this book marks the first effort of this scope to address the issue of the moral/civic divide in citizenship education. Thus, through a cross-cultural dialogue across societies in the Asia-Pacific Region, this book addresses the issue of whether elements of both civic and moral education can be effectively joined to create a “socially responsible” citizen.

CONTENTS
Preface. 1 Introduction, David L. Grossman and John J. Cogan. 2 Teaching for Social Justice across the Curriculum: Connecting Theory and Practice, John T. King. 3 The Development of Civic and Moral Education in Hong Kong’s Changing Context, Yan Wing Leung and Timothy W.W. Yuen. 4 Governance and Self-Governance in Macau: Is There a Pathway to Socially Responsible Citizens? Teresa Sou Kuan Vong. 5 Educating Socially Responsible Citizens: A View from Hawai‘i, Gay Garland Reed. 6 Local Governments as Promoters of Citizenship Education: A Case Study of Shinagawa City, Tokyo, Julie Higashi. 7 Challenges and Opportunities for Citizenship Education in the Changing Society of South Korea, Yong Lin Moon. 8 Citizenship Education in Mexico, Maria Eugenia Luna-Elizarraras. 9 Epilogue, John J. Cogan and David L. Grossman. About the Contributors.