Digital Commons Network^™

E. Assignment Four: Scopes Trial History Lesson & Class Activities, Frankie Nicole Weaver

Frankie Nicole Weaver, Comparative Twentieth Century South African and United States Civil Rights and Voting Rights Histories

Build on introductory context and engage with themes tied to the 1925 Scopes trial, particularly highlighting public discourse and civic engagement in culture and politics, TN law and state judicial proceedings, science and technology, religion and Christianity in the US, notions of evolution and human evolution, public education, journalism and media, national politics or political ideologies, and US Constitutional liberties of speech, press, and religion.

Item 4: Activity 2: Electoral College, David Hubert

David Hubert, Introduction to U.S. Government & Politics

This is an activity designed to help students understand how the winner-takes-all process works in the Electoral College and how it can lead to the popular vote winner losing the Electoral College vote.

Item 5: Assignment 1: Investigate Coverage Of Contested Claims, Troy Martin

Troy Martin, Information Literacy and Civic Responsibility

This is a multistep collaborative investigation and writing assignment designed to practice the SIFT model (Mike Caulfield) for quick source and claim-checking. This assignment should follow earlier introduction and practice using the SIFT model. Students will conduct individual investigations into factual claims followed by group deliberation and report writing.

Item 2: Activity 1: The Optimal United States Presidential Ticket, Mary Anne K. Clarke

Mary Anne K. Clarke, Democracy, Citizenship, and the Media Course

This classroom activity provides an opportunity for students to discuss potential presidential and vice presidential candidates and determine what qualities, qualifications, and characteristics would make the ideal ticket.

F. Assignment Five: Scopes Trial Creative Assignment, Frankie Nicole Weaver

Frankie Nicole Weaver, Comparative Twentieth Century South African and United States Civil Rights and Voting Rights Histories

This creative assignment encourages students to reflect on independent exploration, class group learning, discussions, and to use research to think critically and to present their ideas in a 5-6-page essay. Students will also think like educators and create 8-10 PowerPoint slides.

Item 3. Class Activity - Oral Histories And Interviews, Tanja Bacani

Tanja Bacani, History of Civic Engagement and Voting Rights Since Reconstruction

In this activity, students will engage with various examples of oral history by watching video interviews of Civil Rights activists. Students will not only learn about civic engagement through their stories, but also evaluate the effectiveness of interview techniques, collaborate with peers to discuss key takeaways, and craft their own thoughtful questions as if they were conducting the interview. This activity can serve as an independent lesson on the experiences of everyday people who fought for justice and the importance of oral history. It can also serve as a foundational step toward the final podcast project in this class as …

Active Learning Activity - You And Your Community: Considering Personality When Getting Involved, Tanja Bacani

Tanja Bacani, History of Civic Engagement and Voting Rights Since Reconstruction

No abstract provided.

Item 2: Activity 1: Cultural Mapping Workshop: Jambi Districts, Salah D. Hassan

Salah D. Hassan, Global Citizenship: Culture and Climate Justice in Indonesia

As an introductory activity for this education abroad course on global citizenship, students will work in small groups of 3 or 4 with local partners (Jambi students and faculty) to explore the relationship between cultural places and the environment of Jambi by creating cultural maps of the districts of Jambi. This classroom activity aims to prepare students for their community service and site visits in Jambi. They will learn about the local geography, acquire knowledge of the diverse cultural environment, and gain an understanding about specific sites of environmental concern in this mid-size city in central Sumatra. The activity will …

Item 3: Activity 2: Role-Play Debate: Climate Justice Solutions For Jambi, Salah D. Hassan

Salah D. Hassan, Global Citizenship: Culture and Climate Justice in Indonesia

Students will work in small groups of 2-3 and each group will be assigned a role representing a different stakeholder. Roles might include local farmers, government officials, environmental NGOs, indigenous leaders, international corporations, and local activists. Students explore different perspectives on climate justice through role-playing. By simulating a debate involving key stakeholders, students will better understand the complexities of climate action and the challenges of balancing global and local interests. Through this activity, students gain insight into the multiple perspectives involved in addressing climate change. This activity will deepen students' understanding of the complexities of balancing local needs with global …

Item 5: Assignment 2: Community Service And Self Awareness: Illustrated Experiential Learning Journal, Salah D. Hassan

Salah D. Hassan, Global Citizenship: Culture and Climate Justice in Indonesia

This course is grounded in community service and emphasizes experiential learning. Students will be spending significant time outside of the classroom working with local partner organizations and learning from them about the Indonesia cultures and environmental issues in Jambi. In this assignment, students connect their community service experiences with local Indonesian community organizations to their self-awareness as global citizens. The assignment asks students to record in an illustrated journal (a personal photo essay) their knowledge of the organization and the effect of community service on their self-knowledge while in Jambi. Documenting their observations through photos, videos, and a written journal, …

Item 6: #Sayhername, Citizenship, And Misogynoir, Danielle Hodge

Danielle Hodge, Race, Communication, and Anti-Black Racism

This discussion activity introduces students to the #SayHerName movement and the concept of misogynoir. Specifically, students will engage with three readings that detail stories of police and state violence against African American and Black women, discuss the anti-Black racist sexism that Black women experience, and highlight the digital resistance that Black girls, women, gender nonconforming, and trans folk employ. These texts inform their subsequent engagement with the documentary, Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland.

D. Assignment Three: Scopes Trial Introductory Assigned Activities: Learning From Tennessee’S Scopes Trial 100 Years Later, Frankie Nicole Weaver

Frankie Nicole Weaver, Comparative Twentieth Century South African and United States Civil Rights and Voting Rights Histories

This assignment encourages students to engage actively with scaffolded pre-learning necessary for the Scopes Trial unit. Students are introduced to the history of the 1925 Scopes Trial and the folk history connected to Inherit the Wind, in its various forms.

Item 6: Activity 5: Quiz On Voting, Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks, African American Literature

This quiz is designed to ensure students’ understanding of how to register and vote in North Carolina and is adaptable for use by faculty in other states. It may be used as a standalone activity, either during class time or as homework, or in conjunction with a guest presentation by a state, county, parish, or tribal elections official; completed individually or in groups; and completed on paper or via a learning management system. In my course, the quiz will be completed during the final exam period, when a state elections official will present a voter education seminar titled “Voter Registration,” …

Item 5: Activity 4: Voting Role-Play: A Service-Learning Activity, Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks, African American Literature

Designed for inclusion in any college or university course delivered in person, this service-learning activity reinforces skills, knowledge, and dispositions related to civic engagement through experiential learning in service of social and community goals of increasing participation in democratic governance. In this activity, university students will lead middle or high school students in a one-hour role playing activity that allows them to practice the steps of registering to vote and voting in North Carolina. For best results, the instructor should lead university students in a dress rehearsal of the activity prior to delivering it onsite.

Item 4: Activity 3: Collaboration And Conversation Check-In (Viewing), Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks, African American Literature

Designed for and utilized in a literature survey course delivered in person whose primary enrollment is first- and second-year students, this graphic organizer provides a student-centered structure for class viewing that foregrounds attention, notetaking, and reflection.

Item 3: Activity 2: Collaboration And Conversation Check-In (Discussion), Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks, African American Literature

Designed for and utilized in a literature survey course delivered in person whose primary enrollment is first- and second-year students, this graphic organizer provides a student-centered structure for class discussion that foregrounds attention, notetaking, participation, relationship, and reflection.

Syllabus: Social Studies Curriculum And Methods In Secondary Education, John Shekitka

John Shekitka, Social Studies Curriculum and Methods in Secondary Education

This is a syllabus for a graduate-level or upper undergraduate course in preparing secondary social studies educators as part of a MAT program. Three weeks of the course specifically deal with civic engagement, and the remainder of the course contains a broader set of complimentary social science teacher skills. The assignments for the course center civic engagement as a central theme. The syllabus also includes a method for students to use ChatGPT or another AI tool ONCE, to experiment with the role of AI in becoming a secondary educator.

Assignment 1: Short Paper And Presentation On Field Trip Exploring Civic Engagement, John Shekitka

John Shekitka, Social Studies Curriculum and Methods in Secondary Education

This is a rather open assignment for graduate-level or upper undergraduate social studies education students that asks them to think about the role of civic education in their own classrooms. They are asked to design a trip, in as much detail as possible that engages students in the concept of civic engagement with their own communities. Students are asked to present the assignment to their classmates.

Item 2: Activity 1: Shakespeare For Civic Action, Molly Slavin

Molly Slavin, Shakespeare for Civic Action Course Syllabus (upper-level undergraduate course)

This activity focuses on Shakespeare, race, and educational institutions, and might be particularly useful for those teaching at HBCUs and MSIs. This archival research activity prepares students to think about Shakespeare performance (specifically The Taming of the Shrew) in segregated places and includes questions for reflection and discussion that prepare students for a paper (Assignment 1). While it draws specifically on resources available in the Atlanta University Center consortium’s library, it should be adaptable for many different institutions and settings, as it asks students to consider race, gender, and adaptation as valences in interpreting Shakespeare.

Item 3: Activity 2: Shakespeare For Civic Action, Molly Slavin

Molly Slavin, Shakespeare for Civic Action Course Syllabus (upper-level undergraduate course)

This activity sets students up to complete a unit-ending podcast project (filed as SlavinAssignment2). Students will have read Measure for Measure and will do an active listening project in class to prepare them to make their own podcasts. The activity includes a guide for how to get students to actively listen to a podcast and take notes and could be adaptable for a general education class on college or study skills.

Assignment 5: Learning About The State Legislature, John Shekitka

John Shekitka, Social Studies Curriculum and Methods in Secondary Education

This activity asks students to think a bit more deeply and think about the state legislatures that pass laws for their states including location, number of members, salaries, and recent accomplishments. It can be adapted for any state in the United States.

Item 4: Activity 3: Shakespeare For Civic Action, Molly Slavin

Molly Slavin, Shakespeare for Civic Action Course Syllabus (upper-level undergraduate course)

This standalone activity is tied to a discussion of Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story but could easily be adaptable for many different contexts. Students will take a walking tour of their surroundings immediately outside campus and compare what they see to Shakespeare’s Verona and the film’s Harlem, thinking about cities as civic spaces and what happens when the social contract falls apart. However, the activity is adaptable for other placed-based literary texts, or even social science courses focused on the city, as it includes suggested readings and questions for discussion.

Item 4: Activity 3: Information Disorder And Elections: Discussion Guide For Deadlocked: An Election Story (2024), Troy Martin

Troy Martin, Information Literacy and Civic Responsibility

Using a simulated election role-play recorded in the PBS film Deadlocked: An Election Story (2024), students will discuss common issues between information disorder and election processes. Students will also examine legal and ethical rights, such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Item 3: Activity 1 Worksheet, David Hubert

David Hubert, Introduction to U.S. Government & Politics

This is the blank worksheet and possible solutions to the gerrymandering challenges. Faculty give copies of the blank sheet to student to do their prep work before class and to work in small groups in class.

Item 6: Activity 3: Being American And Active Citizenship, Mary Anne K. Clarke

Mary Anne K. Clarke, Democracy, Citizenship, and the Media Course

This activity exposes students to a children’s book from a historical era vastly different from their own which exhibits a different tone and message about America and what it means to be American. Students will then creatively and actively “create a book page” about what it means to be an American now. This activity enables students to compare different historical eras and recognize the importance of language related to America and active citizenship in the modern era.

Item 3: Assignment 1: Civic Engagement And Citizenship Matter: Write An Op-Ed, Mary Anne K. Clarke

Mary Anne K. Clarke, Democracy, Citizenship, and the Media Course

This assignment allows students to demonstrate active citizenship because it provides students with an opportunity to develop their writing skills by writing a persuasive op-ed about civic engagement and citizenship. American political culture embodies the role of the citizen in the democratic process and writing an op-ed is one way for a citizen to articulate their beliefs about issues in society.

Item 1: Democracy, Citizenship, And The Media Syllabus, Mary Anne K. Clarke

Mary Anne K. Clarke, Democracy, Citizenship, and the Media Course

This course is appropriate as an introductory course. The course is designed to delve into the topics of democracy, citizenship, and the media, and it examines how the topics intersect and affect citizen participation in the US. This course provides an in-depth analysis of what democracy is, next adding the concept of citizenship, and finally adding the topic of the media to the discussion to demonstrate how the media shapes democratic values and the role of citizenship.

Item 4: Activity 2: Civic Engagement: The Power And Meaning Of Words, Mary Anne K. Clarke

Mary Anne K. Clarke, Democracy, Citizenship, and the Media Course

This classroom activity introduces students to the concept of civic engagement. As a class, students will learn a definition of civic engagement and then will work with various terms and concepts that apply to the topic of civic engagement. This activity attempts to broaden students’ understanding about why civic engagement matters and is much more than just voting.

A. Syllabus His 207 Comparative Twentieth Century South African And United States Civil Rights And Voting Rights Histories, Frankie Nicole Weaver

Frankie Nicole Weaver, Comparative Twentieth Century South African and United States Civil Rights and Voting Rights Histories

Originally shared as an in-person comparative upper-level undergraduate history course, this course was adapted for online, virtual use. It works well in either format; however, if you share it virtually, I strongly encourage at least one weekly synchronous class meeting and utilizing breakout rooms to promote discussion. Also, provide discussion questions and randomly enter breakout rooms to facilitate discussion --ensuring that engaging discussions occur. I recommend offering both in-person and virtual office hours, regardless.

El Leñador, September 2025, El Leñador Staff

El Leñador Newspaper

El Leñador is an English and Spanish newspaper produced by Humboldt State University students. Our staff cover and provide news to Latinx and other diverse communities on campus and in Humboldt County. We are committed to providing relevant news and expanding the representations and stories told about people of color and other marginalized groups. Our work helps create more social, political and cultural diversity in local media.

El Leñador es un periodico en español y inglés producido por estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de Humboldt. Nuestro personal cubre y provee noticias a la comunidad Latinx y otras comunidades diversas en …