Aesthetics and Civics. Cultural Dimension of Civic Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This book is a reaction to the general neglect of cultural behavior education within civic education. It points to the particular problems, in the European context, of civic education in Slovakia. Concentration is on the main ideas of the PHARE project "Education for Citizenship and European Studies." Key ideas from the Department of Ethic and Civic Education at the Faculty of Education, Comenius University, in Bratislava (Slovakia) and ideas about new concepts for civic education and teacher training also are presented here. The humanistic ideals of Carl R. Rogers and Wolfgang Welsch's postmodern perception of culture both influence this material. Chapter 1 discusses the importance of culture, priorities of contemporary Slovak culture, and the aims of cultural education of citizens. In chapter 2, the nature of aesthetics and a non-classical version of aesthetic education are explored. Chapter 3 looks at the nature of civic education and multiculturalism in civic education. Chapter 4 is about teaching aesthetics in civic education. The final chapter covers civics teacher training. References follow each chapter. (LAP)