Using The Consensus Artifact in the Classroom

The Consensus Artifact is a cross-curricula resource that teachers and senior secondary students may use to support reading and close analysis in the following Social Sciences Syllabuses:

• Section I: 9-12 Content Standards - National Standards for Civics and Government (United States of America)
• Legal Studies Stage 6 – Preliminary and HSC (NSW, Australia)
• VCE Legal Studies Unit 3 (VIC, Australia)
• VCE International Politics Unit 1-4 (VIC, Australia)
• QCE Legal Studies (2007) (QLD, Australia)
• QCE Political Studies (QLD, Australia)
• TCE Legal Studies 5 (TAS, Australia)
• TCE Issues in Society 2-4 (TAS, Australia)
• SACE Legal Studies Stage 1-2 (SA & NT, Australia)
• SACE Australian and International Politics Stage 1-2 (SA & NT, Australia)
• TEE Political and Legal Studies (WA, Australia)
• SOSE National Schools Constitutional Convention (All States, Australia)
• Social Studies Years 11-13 – Social Organisation (New Zealand)
• NQ Modern Studies (Scotland)
• NQ Contemporary Social Studies (Scotland)
• NQ Politics (Scotland)
• GCE Government and Politics (2150) Unit 1, 3-4 (United Kingdom)
• GCE Law (2160) Unit 1 (United Kingdom)
• GCE Citizenship Studies (2100) Unit 1-4 (United Kingdom)
• GCSE Law (3161) (United Kingdom)
• GCSE Citizenship Studies (3107) (United Kingdom)
• NCERT Political Science Classes XI – XII (India)
• Social Studies 10-20-30 (Alberta, Canada)
• Social Studies 30: Canadian Studies Unit 4-5 (Saskatchewan, Canada)
• Canadian and World Studies Grades 11-12 – Law, Politics (Ontario, Canada)
• Social Studies 11 (British Columbia, Canada)
• Civic Studies 11 (British Columbia, Canada)
• Law 12 – Foundations of Law (British Columbia, Canada)

Curriculum Focus

The Consensus Artifact allows students to:

• Understand the necessity for a reliable system of law in a free society (Rule of Law), how the law emanates from a nation’s constitution and how legal structures and processes change to meet the moral, political and cultural values of a society.
• Understand the structure and operation of political, social, legal and economic systems, enabling them to participate as informed and responsible citizens and community members.
• Develop a functional knowledge of the interrelationship of individuals, society, government and laws, along with an awareness that their legal rights and responsibilities are related to attempts to balance competing interests, values and beliefs.
• Understand the nature and impact of domestic and international policy–making on politics, human rights, refugees, international opinion, international conflict, economics and a country’s near neighbours.
• Examine the concepts of leadership, governance and personal ethics as they relate to political leaders, public office and public service.
• Investigate the interconnectedness of power, representation, rights, justice and sustainability through an understanding of the make-up of constitutions.
• Enhance their skills of analysis, evaluation and synthesis, encourage them to develop informed opinions, prompt them to research and debate issues, and question the view of the world the popular media presents.

Background Information

The Consensus Artifact gives students a clear understanding of the political and legal forces shaping their world and their place with in it. It gives section-by-section explanations of the key building blocks of democratic constitutions, using a series of hypothetical interviews with fictitious experts as a vehicle to introduce them to the constitution making process. Each chapter of the book is largely self-contained, so subjects can be introduced to students without the need to build on previous material or for the book to be read sequentially. Because each chapter is presented as a hypothetical interview, students are able to place complex political, legal and citizenship concepts into context.

This innovative teaching resource helps students make sense of the world around them, while encouraging them to play an active role as citizens. The Consensus Artifact contains:

• Logical and well presented chapters on political governance, conflict resolution, non-violent activism, civic engagement, the parliamentary process, alternative monetary systems, public revenue systems, sustainability principles, the separation of Church and State, limits on corporate power, fairer electoral systems and protection of human rights.
• A Universal Constitution (a draft constitution), which allows students to see how democratic, human rights and social justice principles can be drafted into constitutions, or how outdated or dysfunctional existing constitutions can be redrafted.
• A useful glossary of political and legal terms, with a reference list of influential political books by significant authors.

The Consensus Artifact is a key civic education text that has been cited by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in: The World Public Sector Report (WPSR) 2007, People Matter: Civic Engagement in Public Governance.

Classroom Activities

1. Evaluate the strategies used in the book to guarantee social justice and human rights protection. Share other strategies you know of that promote these important democratic principles. Describe how effective they are. Consider a comparison between the strategies used by monarchies and those used by republican governments.

2. Explain the reasons why some people in authority are reluctant to tamper with existing political, legal and economic systems and processes. What risks might there be in changing constitutions, laws or public institutions?

3. Evaluate the strategies used by oppressed citizens to compel their government to improve living or democratic conditions. Investigate some prominent political lobbyists or freedom fighters who have managed to achieve democratic outcomes for their people. Describe how effective they were or are. Consider a comparison between the strategies used by violent and non-violent activists and the effect these have on changing government policy.

4. Explain whether war can be justified and what responsibilities if any, antagonists have towards each other. The book contains a number of strategies for avoiding or reducing the incidence of conflict. Consider what other strategies might be used. Explore whether indigenous peoples have . used any of these strategies to protect themselves against invasion and assimilation.

5. Using this country as a case study, construct a profile of the current political structure, noting the centres of power, the structures that support those in power and the broader social, cultural and historical context in which the nation operates.

6. Active citizenship requires a broader involvement than just voting, lobbying or public debating. Consider the political, societal and legal effects of consumer purchasing choices and behaviour. Explore links between the demand for cheap telecommunications devices in First World countries and civil and political strife over raw materials taken from Third World countries to make these devices.

7. There are leaders who argue against direct citizen involvement in political processes and policy-making. List the names/titles of each of these people and write one quote that you think best summarises their reason for opposing the direct democracy argument. What might be some legitimate and practical barriers to the effectiveness of direct democracy?

8. Prepare an oral presentation discussing the pros and cons of the current political system in this country. Some of the presentation should discuss the complexities of leadership, legitimacy, representation.

9. Describe the historical and political contexts that have led to the political environment in this country today. Construct a chart to compare the these contexts with three other countries we trade with.

10. The book contains a Universal Constitution. Explore how “universal” it is by determining if it would or would not solve problems in some of the world’s trouble spots like Darfur and the Middle East. Under what political circumstance would the Universal Constitution be most effective? Consider how it could be changed to make it a more effective instrument of democracy.

Book Review for Teacher Librarians

Review by G. Spindler
SCAN
Volume 28, Number 2, May 2009

SCAN is a refereed journal published by the NSW Curriculum K-12 Directorate (School Libraries and Information Literacy Unit).