About Project CivicsWorks

Project CivicsWorks is intended to empower civics students to become more informed about foundational ideals, more active and to use their voices to challenge the status quo. Project CivicsWorks was created by Andrew Conneen and Dan Larsen -- civics teacher in Illinois and founders of www.citizenu.online
PROJECT CIVICSWORKS
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How to make Project CivicsWorks

You and up to one other student partner are invited to create a slide presentation a slide presentation (up to 10 slides including a title slide and a works cited slide) that fulfills the following:

A. Present a claim and an institutional reform that you can research
- Describe a reality in American government and politics that falls short of a U.S. founding principle and connect this with an institutional reform of federal, state or local government that could restore this democratic ideal.

Ideas for Founding Principles include:
• Popular sovereignty
• Rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Representative government
• Pluralism
• Separation of powers
• Checks on abuses of government
• Equality of Opportunity
• Federalism
• Limited government
• Majoritarianism

• Protection of minority rights
• Private property rights
• Criminal justice rights
• Protection of civil society groups

Potential Institutional Reforms include, but are not limited to:
• Gerrymandering reform
• Party nomination process reform
• Term limits
• Pres. nomination process reform
• Campaign finance reform
• Electoral system reform
• Strengthened bicameralism
• Electoral college reform
• Voting rights reform
• Strengthened checks and balances
• Enhancement of private property rights
• Criminal justice reform

B. Describe the reform and its intended outcome
-  Support the argument using relevant evidence. Be sure to include a reference to at least one US founding document (Declaration of Independence; Articles of Confederation; Brutus I; U.S. Constitution; Federalist 10; Federalist 51; Federalist70; Federalist 78; and MLK's Letter from a Birmingham Jail.) 
- Collect survey information and/or speak with leaders who would be affected by reforms or who could help implement reforms.
- Use academic research and/or connect with professors who have studied similar reforms.


C. Describe the process of implementing the institutional reform
- Include potential obstacles to implementing this reform.
- Include a description of the opposition's argument and your response to this opposition.


D. Describe an opposing argument and a response that refutes this argument.

​E. Summarize your argument with a concluding statement. 

• Cite all sources and include an annotated bibliography
• If your project is chosen by your school sponsor, the Project CivicsWorks Showcase presentation should be submitted by Sun, May 18, 2025 for the e-Showcase event on Thur, May 22, 2025. 
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SEE RULES PAGE FOR SPECIFIC PROJECT RULES.
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Timeline
• First semester student event (individual schools) by January, 2025.
• Second semester student submission deadline by Sun, May 18, 2025.
• Project CivicsWorks e-Showcase event on May 22, 2025.
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  • Home
  • About
  • Support
  • Rules
  • Sample PCW