Tuesday, January 6, A.D. 2009

Civic Literacy

I have greatly benefited from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute since I was an undergraduate student. I was a part of its Collegiate Network, I still treasure the friends and acquaintances that I have made through its programs, I always look forward to getting and reading my Intercollegiate Review, and I owe no small part of my extracurricular education to the wonderful organization that Frank Chodorov and William F. Buckley, Jr. brought to Americans’ minds.

I highly recommend that you join I.S.I. It is free for students and faculty members, and membership has many privileges. I am very grateful to the institute and to its benefactors for all that they have done for me.

I.S.I. has launched an American Civic Literacy project to bring attention to our people’s ignorance. One of the project’s publicity and instructive tools is a set of short civics quizzes given to college students and to the general population. The overall average grade is 46%, and the average grade for college professors is 55%, which is just horrible. Even more troubling is the fact that holders of public office score lower than average citizens. Can you offer another profession where laymen are better informed than the masters?

You can take an online version of the quiz here.

Thanks to the American Legion, the Jesuits, and my involvement in I.S.I., I am pleased to report that I answered all but one of the questions correctly (my first and only time taking the test, of course).

Posted by Joseph on Tuesday, January 6, Anno Domini 2009
Philosophy | Politics • (0) Comments