Chapter One: Understanding Civics and Ethics

1. Defining Civics, Ethics, Morality

1.1 What is Civic Education?
The concept of civic education has been defined by many scholars in many ways. It is
defined as a branch of social science, which studies the rights, and responsibilities of citizens.
Others define it as a science, which studies the theory and practice of free and open
democratic society. Still others define it as a science that studies international socio-economic
and political conditions. Other people again defined it as a science that studies the purpose of
government, the nature of law, and the way private behavior affects the public order and the
political system. Finally, others define it as the intensive study and understanding of political
institutions such as law-making institutions, executive bodies, and political parties.
Generally civic education is the process of helping young people acquire and learn to use the
skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and responsible
citizens throughout their lives.
1.2 What is Ethics
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies about the nature of moral values. It is concerned
with inquiry of morals as its subject matter. Moral values define judgments of individual
decisions and actions as good or evil, acceptable or unacceptable by society
Generally, Ethics is:
1. The critical examination and evaluation of what is good, evil, right and wrong in human
conduct (Guy, 2001).
2. A specific set of principles, values and guidelines for a particular group or organization
(Guy, 2001).
3. Ethics is the study of goodness, right action and moral responsibility, it asks what
choices and ends we ought to pursue and what moral principles should govern our
pursuits and choices (Madden, 2000).

1.3 What is Morality?

Moral /morality/ refers to the actual pattern of conduct and the direct working rules of moral
action. This means that it is moral conduct or standards. Morality is looking at how good or
bad our conduct is, and our standards about conduct.
Generally, Morality is:
1. Those principles and values that actually guide, for better or worse, an individual’s
personal conduct (Guy, 2001)
2. Morality is the informal system of rational beings by which they govern their behavior in
order to lesson harm or evil and do good, this system, although informal, enjoys amazing
agreement across time and cultures concerning moral rules, moral ideas and moral virtues
(Madden, 2000)
3. Morality, whatever else may be said about it, is about things over which we have control
that lead to “bettering human life”. It is different in every society, and is a convenient
term for socially approved habits.

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 Ethics Morality
Is philosophical study of the code, standards refers to the code of conduct one follows
or norm of human conduct and it is more while ethics is the study of moral conduct or
theoretical and general one. the study of the code that one follows
Ethics establish the standards, norms, or is the conformity of human behavior to the
codes to be followed by human beings are the established code of conduct. If an action
study of morality, moral principles, and conforms to the established code, it is called
moral decision making. moral, if not immoral
Is the development of reasonable standards refers to the effort to guide one’s conduct by
and procedures for ethical decision-making reason while giving equal weight to the
interests of each individual who will be
affected by one’s conduct
Is a set of normative rules of conduct, a code, Has to do with what one should do, all things
a standard that govern what one ought to do considered, not what, in fact, any of us will
when the well-being, or duties to oneself, so in a particular instance
others or institutions is at stake.

1.4 The Importance/Goal of Moral and Civic Education

Civic education is a discipline that deals with virtue traits rooted in values of respect and
culture of tolerance to make individuals responsible and efficient member of their
community. It teaches the values and sense of commitment that define an active and
principled citizen, how to make responsible decisions, solve problems, care about others,
contribute to society, and be tolerant and respectful of diversity.
Generally, the necessity of delivering the course emanates from:
1) The need to instill citizens about their rights and duties: The two phrases’ rights and
duties co-exist with each other (they are termed as the two sides of the same coin) that
regulate the values and behavioral patterns of an individual. For instance, the State has the
obligation to provide health care services because citizens have the right to access that
service. However, the State will be unable to ensure that citizens led a healthy life unless
citizens themselves act responsibly with respect to their own health, in terms of a healthy
diet, exercise, and the consumption of liquor and tobacco. Similarly, the state will be unable
to meet the needs of children, the elderly or the disabled, if citizens do not agree to share this
responsibility by providing some care for their relatives; the state cannot protect the
environment if citizens are unwilling to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste byproducts in their
own homes; and attempts to create a fairer society will flounder if citizens are chronically
intolerant of difference and generally lacking in what Rawls (1971) calls a sense of justice.
2) The Need for Participant Political Culture: According to the International Encyclopedia
of the Social Sciences (1961) political culture is the set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments
which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying
assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system. There are three political
cultures: parochial cultures, subject cultures, and participant cultures.

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 In parochial cultures citizens have low cognitive, affective, and evaluative orientation
regarding the political systems, government powers and functions and even their privileges
and duties. In such political culture, the role of citizens in the political sphere of their
countries is insignificant since individuals thinks of their family’s advantage as the only goal
to pursue.
In subject cultures, there is high cognitive, affective, and evaluative orientation towards the
political system and policy outputs, but orientations towards input objects (like political
parties) and the self as active participants are minimal. Thus, orientation towards the system
and its outputs is channeled via a relatively separate, passive relationship on the part of the
citizen. Subject cultures are most compatible with centralized, authoritarian political
structures.
In participant cultures, members of society have high cognitive, affective, and evaluative
orientation to the political system, the input objects, the policy outputs, and recognize the self
as an active participant in the polity. Largely, participant cultures are most compatible with
democratic political structures because the qualities and attitudes of citizens determine the
health and stability of a country’s democracy. Democracy can only thrive when citizens
understand and participate actively in civic and political life from the perspective that
participation is important, but informed and educated participation is more important.
Generally, the subject play’s undeniable role in democratization process through solving
societal problems, socializing and re-socializing individuals by instilling desired values,
helping individuals develop feeling of respect to others, develop a sense of belongingness and
patriotism, and the like.
3) The Need for Relevant Knowledge, Skills and Positive Attitudes: Relevant knowledge is a
type of knowledge which is useful in dealing with a particular problem at a period of time.
However, knowledge would remain inert knowledge unless it is functional or put into
practice to achieve a certain goal. Still knowledge would remain infirm if the person is not
equipped with right attitudes and requisite skills which are basic to enable him/her perform
his/her role as a credible member of a society. Hence, the State in question will do better in
its bid for development if most of her citizens are skillful in one field or the other and also
demonstrate positive attitudes at the work place. Right attitudes are very essential ingredients
needed to ensure harmony and peaceful co-existence among people. It is reasonable to claim
that skillful manpower is a pre-requisite for every nation that wishes to develop but a skillful
manpower without positive attitudes to work is likely to result in counter production because
vices like corruption, bribery, abuse of power, lateness to and work absenteeism among
others will pop their ugly heads. For this reason, civics and ethics is acknowledged as an
essential subject from the perception that it can be a useful cure for the ‘social ills’ often
associated with young people: that is, tendencies for anti-social behavior and political apathy
among young people, or, what Osler and Starkey (2006: 437) describe as ‘youth deficit’. At
the local community level, it is assumed that social and environmental problems can best be
resolved through an understanding of what it means to be a citizen.
4) The issue of fostering intercultural societies: The recognition of cultural diversity is
certainly meritorious, but civics and ethics education could move a step forward by appealing
to the notion of inter-culturalism, which explicitly asserts the need for relationship, dialogue,
reciprocity and interdependence. Beyond differences of semantics, civics and ethics

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education is a useful instrument not only towards tolerating or celebrating each other, but also
about nurturing dynamic exchanges based on interaction, openness and effective solidarity.
The subject helps to integrate the best traditions of multicultural and intercultural education
to develop political and pedagogical strategies that contribute to overcome discrimination and
to nurture genuine, inclusive dialogue among cultural groups.
The issue of inclusiveness: By framing a universal concept of citizenship constructed on the
attributes/identities and practices of male subjects, gendered relations and the private sphere
have been neglected. Civics and ethics as a subject are thought to nurture new and inclusive
relations and practices in both public and private spaces that recognize gender differences
while ensuring inclusiveness and equity. It should also go beyond the idea of quotas for
women in formal politics, or strategies to empower women to play male politics. Hence,
promoting democracy and inclusiveness in public spaces as well as in families, workplaces,
unions, and other institutions become the area of focus of civics and ethics.
5) The issue of peace-building: in an environment characterized by increasing militarization,
terrorism, civil wars and genocidal acts, it is urgent for citizenship education to advance
pedagogical strategies to promote cooperation, dialogue, and a sustainable peace that is based
on justice. It is obvious that civics and ethics alone cannot bring peace to our planet, yet it can
make a valuable contribution to create the subjective conditions for more peaceful situations.
This includes the development of competencies for peacemaking, conflict resolution, healing,
reconciliation and reconstruction. It also includes an understanding of nonviolent civil
disobedience philosophies, strategies and skills. A peace-oriented citizenship education can
foster the development of values, attitudes and skills to nurture peace within ourselves and in
our personal relationships, and to create the conditions for peace in our own communities and
in the global community.
Moral and Civics Education is based on and seeks to promote in students core moral,
ethical, democratic, and educational values, such as:
o Respect for life
o Respect for reasoning
o Fairness
o Concern for the welfare of others
o Respect for diversity