About Project Pericles
Education and Citizenship
“Our
Government does not copy our neighbors. But it is an example
to them. It is true that we are called a democracy. For the
administration is in the hands of the many and not of the
few. But while there exists equal justice to all and alike
in their private disputes, the claim of excellence is also
recognized. And when a citizen is in any way distinguished,
he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of
privilege, but as the reward of merit. Neither is poverty
an obstacle. But a man may benefit his country whatever the
obscurity of his condition…”
Pericles
Funeral Oration (per Thucydides) |
Three Pitzer College courses have been selected for funding by Project Pericles: Topics in Native American Art History: Native California Non-Violent Social Change and Non Citizens in Wartime America.
The College will receive $6,000 in matching funds for the three funded courses and $800 for an administrative honorarium.
Project Pericles encourages and facilitates commitments
by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility
and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational
programs, in and out of the classroom. This learning experience
is intended to provide students with a foundation for social and
civic involvement and a conviction that democratic institutions
and processes offer each person the best opportunity to improve
the condition of society.
The Legacy of Pericles
In the fifth century BCE, Pericles brought democracy to Athens.
By recognizing that every citizen has both a duty to serve and the
potential to lead, Pericles and his fellow Athenians laid the foundation
for modern democracy—a legacy to men and women seeking to
govern themselves in a free society. This legacy of Pericles was
a core precept of America's founding philosophy. Alexis de Tocqueville
bore witness to it in chracterizing the United States uniquely as
a country in which each citizen takes an active responsiblity for
the well-being of the community.
The Legacy of Pericles Is Challenged
The forces of social, economic, and technological change have been
draining the vitality of Pericles' legacy. It is well recognized
that, during the latest decades, active personal engagement in social
issues and civic concerns among Americans has declined. Concurrently,
a growing cynicism questions the efficacy of our political institutions
and the utility of their processes. These trends in popular attitude
have weakened our social fabric. Their implications challenge our
future as a democratic society.
Higher Education and the Legacy of Pericles
Historically, higher education in the United States has been closely
connected to the legacy of Pericles. Its mission has embraced the
preparation in an expanding pluralistic society in which citizenship,
social responsibility, and community are inseparable. |
