Civic Participation and Skills

Unit Overview

In this unit, students will evaluate the credibility of various sources of information (CS#3) and explain how persuasion, compromise, consensus building, and negotiation are used for conflict resolution (CS#4).

Section A: Content Statement 3 and 4

Content Statement #3

Issues can be analyzed through the critical use of credible sources.

Content Elaboration

Researching a civic issue involves determining which sources of information are relevant to the task, identifying the perspective or position of each source, and evaluating the credibility of the sources. Considerations involved with determining the credibility of sources and media outlets include:

• the qualifications/reputation of the writer and organization;

• the circumstances in which the source material was generated;

• internal consistency and agreement with other credible sources;

• use of supporting evidence and logical conclusions; and

• evidence of bias or unstated assumptions

Content Statement #4

The processes of persuasion, compromise, consensus building, and negotiation contribute to the democratic process.

Content Elaboration

Persuasion is a process of inducing others into accepting a point of view utilizing reasoning and argumentation. Compromise is a process of making concessions to settle differences. Consensus building is a process of working toward achieving general agreement within a group. Negotiation is a process of resolving disputes through a discussion of issues. These processes come into play by varying degrees during activities related to governing.

Let’s Practice: Conflict Resolution

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Section B: Credible Sources

Bias is a feeling or prejudice for or against a sure thing, person, or group compared with another. It can be positive or negative and usually is considered unfair, one-sided. Recognizing bias is an essential skill in analyzing the credibility of a source. Always be aware of bias when you encounter propaganda. Propaganda still has a plan. The best way not to be manipulated by propaganda is to be mindful of its bias.

There many ways to spot bias in a source:

· “loaded language.”

· emotionally charged words

· The writer only discusses one point of view

· Exaggerated claims

· Half-truths

Let’s Practice: Bias or Unbias

When you are researching, you always need to be sure that you are getting your information from reliable sources. “Reliable” sources are written by people who are experts in their field. These sources you can trust. There are many characteristics of credible and reliable sources. Below are a few of those characteristics:

· Facts used by a source are accurate

· Facts can be verified by the use of other sources

· Facts used by a source are consistent with other sources

· The source is close to the event it reports

Let’s Practice: Reliable or Unreliable

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Section C: Conflict Resolution

The above image shows four different ways of “conflict resolution.” Each of these has a strategy to resolve conflicts. Compromise is the process of making concessions to settle differences. Negotiation is the process of settling differences through a discussion of issues. Persuasion is the process of inducing others into accepting a point of view utilizing argumentation. The last strategy is consensus building. Consensus building is when both parties search for the common ground of mutual agreement to solve a conflict. Below is an activity where you have to determine which strategy to resolve the conflict.

Let’s Practice: Identify the Strategy