Integrating Aging and Civic Engagement into the Curriculum

This conceptual paper is based on interdisciplinary work the authors have participated in as part of the renewed push for civic engagement, the various forms it takes, and the multiple constituencies involved in its promotion. We focus on what theoretical and empirical content could be incorporated into courses on aging so that students can be prepared to critically think about, understand, and analyze both practice and policy aspects of civic engagement and aging. We provide three learning cases that can be used as classroom exercises, suggest sample assignments, and examine implications of engagement for older adults. We append a sample syllabus that can be used as a framework to convey this content in an elective course or as a module of a social gerontology course. The call for civic engagement is being heard throughout the United States across sectors and across population groups. In this article, we begin with background information on the renewed push for civic engagement, the various forms it takes, and the multiple constituencies involved in its promotion. Following a brief contextual background, we focus on theoretical and empirical content that could be incorporated into courses on aging so that students can be prepared to understand and critically analyze the implications of civic engagement for older adults. Four units that could constitute a one-credit module or become part of an existing gerontology course are provided, complete with discussion questions, learning cases that can be used in classroom exercises, as well as sample assignments. We conclude with a sample course syllabus around which this module could be constructed in order to convey this content.