Street Law: Democracy for All – Educator’s Manual

Product Details:Author(s): Coetzee, L , Lotz, L and McQuoid-Mason et al Year Published:2017Edition2nd EditionType:Print | Soft CoverLanguage:EnglishAbout this publicationThe second edition of Democracy for All: Learner’s Manual is aimed at young people, adults, students and teachers. The book explains how the international community understands democracy, and explores what democracy means to each of us. Democracy for All also explains how government works in a democracy, how the abuse of power is checked, how human rights support democracy, how democratic elections take place, and how citizens can participate in democracy.
The objectives of the book are:
• To improve students’ understanding of the fundamental principles and values underlying democracy in society;• To promote awareness of the current issues and controversies relating to democracy;• To show students that their participation can make a difference to how democracy functions in their country;• To foster justice, tolerance and fairness;• To develop students’ willingness and ability to resolve disputes and differences without resorting to violence;• To improve basic skills, including critical thinking and reasoning, communication, observation and problem-solving.
Democracy for All uses a variety of student-centered activities, including case studies, role-plays, simulations, small-group discussions, opinion polls and debates. The companion volume, entitled Democracy for All: Educator’s Manual, explains how the lessons in the Learner’s Manual can be conducted and provides solutions to the problems.ContentWhat is democracy
Defining democracy
Exercise 1: Who will govern the shipwrecked children?
Exercise 2: Drawing a Democracy Tree: what does democracy mean to you?
Democracy and power
Exercise 3: Who has power?
Types of democracy
Exercise 4: Helping to choose the best type of democracy
The difference between democracy and dictatorship
Exercise 5: What kind of government is it?
Types of representative democracy
Exercise 6: Parliamentary versus presidential democracy
Fundamental principles of democracy
Exercise 7: On the road to democracy
Signposts to democracy
Exercise 8: Is Democratia on the road to democracy?
Expectations of democracy
Exercise 9: A conversation about democracy
You and democracy
Exercise 10: Do you think democratically?
How government works in a democracy
A constitution and a bill of rights 
Exercise 1: Which constitutional provisions support or prevent democracy?
Drafting a constitution 
Exercise 2: A debate on allowing 16-year-olds to vote
Changing the constitution
Exercise 3: Debating corporal punishment in schools 
Structure of government
Exercise 4: Dividing powers among national, provincial and local governments
Exercise 5: What is the role of a chief in a rural area in a democracy?
Branches of government: the legislature
Exercise 6: A mock parliamentary debate on the death penalty 
Exercise 7: Should ‘vote-trading’ be allowed in parliament? 
Branches of government: the executive 
Exercise 8: Police action and the rule of law
Branches of government: the judiciary 
Exercise 9: Dismissal of judges
Role of government in the economy
Exercise 10: Should the mines be nationalised? 
Role of local government in democracy 
Exercise 11: What is the role of local government in service delivery? 
Checking the abuse of power
What is abuse of power? 
Exercise 1: Identifying abuse of power 
Accountability and transparency 
Exercise 2: The Hope High School Case 
Exercise 3: Should the government limit accountability?
Exercise 4: The weapon of mass destruction TV debate 
Exercise 5: Did the state of emergency limit accountability? 
Domestic methods of checking the abuse of power 
Exercise 6: Is the head of state above the law?
Exercise 7: The Drankengate case 
Exercise 8: The Independent Broadcaster bans footage of violent protests
Exercise 9 Were the procedures fair?
Exercise 10: Which Chapter 9 institution can assist?
Exercise 11: Public Protector or commission: Which should be used?
International methods of checking the abuse of power 
Exercise 12: Should the international community intervene? 
Exercise 13: How can the abuse of power be checked? 
Exercise 14: Should information about a drug investigation be disclosed? 
Human rights and democracy
What are human rights? 
Exercise 1: Defining human rights
Different types of human rights
Which rights should be in a bill of rights? 
Exercise 2: Choose your rights 
Exercise 3: Should social and economic rights be included in a Bill of Rights? 
Exercise 4: Should a bill of rights operate vertically or horizontally? 
Exercise 5: Should these actions be allowed? 
How human rights make democracy succeed
Exercise 6: Which rights help democracy to succeed? 
Exercise 7: Should the expression be allowed? 
Exercise 8: Was freedom of association violated? 
Exercise 9: Should private security and the police have been called by the university to prevent demonstrations by students demanding free university education? 
Exercise 10: Political tolerance – Should the march be allowed? 
Exercise 11: Drawing an equality wheel
Exercise 12: Was the discrimination reasonable or fair?
Exercise 13: Does the university’s policy bring about equality?
Conflicting human rights in a democracy 
Exercise 14: Conflicting rights 
Exercise 15: Making choices at the chief’s council meeting
Is it ever justified to suspend human rights in a democracy?
Exercise 16: Was the suspension of human rights justified?
Elections
Elections and voting
Exercise 1: Sharing your voting experience
Who can vote? 
Exercise 2: Who should be allowed to vote?
Political parties in elections
Exercise 3: Proportional representation or individual representation: Which is better?
Exercise 4: A speech by the People’s Party
Multi-party democracy
Exercise 5: Some questions on multi-party democracy
Candidates in an election
Exercise 6: Describing your perfect political candidate
Exercise 7: The case of the screening law
Free and fair elections
Exercise 8: Should political parties be required to disclose who funds them?
Exercise 9: Were the elections free and fair?
Frequency of elections
Exercise 10: How often should elections be held?
Voting procedures
Exercise 11: At the voting station
Exercise 12: What should international monitors do?
Political tolerance and elections
Exercise 13: How politically tolerant are you?
Exercise 14: A political party is denied a hall for a meeting
Exercise 15: What are the benefits of a multi-cultural society?
After the election: Accepting defeat
Exercise 16: The President declares the election invalid
Citizen participation
What is citizen participation?
Exercise 1: The search for the perfect citizen
Becoming informed
Exercise 2: How to become informed
Exercise 3: Separating fact from opinion
Exercise 4: Discussing the Marikana massacre
Exercise 5: The case of the anti-Pinko party
Participation in civil society
Exercise 6: The case of the inadequate school facilities
Participation in party politics
How citizens can change public policy
Exercise 7: Lobbying the Commissioner of Correctional Services
Exercise 8: Commission on violent DVDs
Protests and demonstrations
Exercise 9: The flag-burning case
Exercise 10: Parents shut down public schools because of teacher shortages
Responsibilities towards other citizens
Exercise 11: Citizen action against pollution
Interest / Benefit to
Law clinics
Law teachers and students
Community law centres
Government departments
Police and Correctional Services officers
Security officers
Trade unions
NGOs