| Teaching Civic Engagement Globally is the result of collaborative work spanning scholars from multiple disciplines, fields, and careers. Political scientists, educators, and students have joined to produce important, timely research. |
Chapter 2: The University as a Civic Agent: Promoting Civic Engagement and the UN SDGs in Northeastern Brazil
by Xaman Minillo and Henrique Zeferino de Menezes, Federal University of Paraíba
Can universities be civic actors? This chapter shows that is possible demonstrating how a university in northeastern Brazil met its civic responsibilities through a community outreach project. Working with civil society, the private sector, and public administrators with the aim of implementing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Federal University of Paraíba was able to show students the importance of civic action. Also, institutionalizing partnerships and developing trainings with the goal of connecting the global agenda and local needs and realities, through this project, the university was able to indirectly benefit the citizenry in the region. Considering that most research on civic engagement focuses on developed countries, this chapter adds to the literature demonstrating how universities in developing countries can become civic agents.
About Teaching Civic Engagement Globally
Educators around the globe are facing challenges in teaching politics in an era in which populist values are on the rise, authoritarian governance is legitimized, and core democratic tenets are regularly undermined. To combat anti-democratic outcomes and citizens’ apathy, Teaching Civic Engagement Globally provides a wide range of pedagogical tools to help the current generation learn to effectively navigate debates and lead changes in local, national, and global politics. Contributors discuss key theoretical discussions and challenges regarding global civic engagement education, highlight successful evidence-based pedagogical approaches, and review effective ways to reach across disciplines and the global education community.