Preparation for civil society: A necessary element of curriculum for social justice.

Civic education historically has focused primarily on preparing students to influence politics and government policy. Less attention has been paid to the curricular implications of civil society, even though it is a crucial site for deliberatively informed action and one of the primary ways in which students will enter the public sphere. This article highlights the importance of civil society as a component of civic education and critically examines why it has been neglected or disparaged by many civic educators. The article also emphasizes the role of formal curricula in systematically preparing students to critically engage in civil society as they work toward social justice; this preparation involves acquainting students with the knowledge necessary to evaluate the work of such organizations, as well providing students with experience in the kinds of collaborative deliberation that takes place there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]