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IU Center on Congress receives grant from Henry Luce Foundation
Feb. 6, 2001
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Center on Congress at Indiana University has received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to improve public understanding of the U.S. Congress through a new interactive, Web-based program.
The Luce Foundation grant will be used to expand the center's current outreach efforts, particularly to high school students, through the development of new "e-learning" activities on its Web site, said Lee Hamilton, director of the center.
"Our aim at the center is to improve public understanding of Congress and to improve civic engagement, especially among our young people, as a way to strengthen our basic institutions of government," said Hamilton, who served Indiana as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years before coming to IU.
"We will develop a Web site-based set of educational games and activities that explain in an interesting and interactive way what Congress does, why Congress is important to them, and why they should be civically engaged," Hamilton said.
The Center on Congress was created by IU in 1999 to help improve the public's understanding of Congress and to improve civic involvement, especially among young people. The center is non-partisan and its goal is purely educational -- to explain the work and role of Congress.
It presents information on Congress in a variety of ways, including through newspaper articles, Web site materials, radio commentaries, teaching materials and videos for students. It also presents awards to Indiana schoolteachers who effectively convey the institution's role and purposes in our society.
The center will expand current educational content on its Web site -- located at http://congress.indiana.edu -- and will provide interactive simulations and activities that show how the work of Congress affects people's lives every day, the factors that can influence a congressman's voting decision, and how to contact a member of Congress effectively.
"All of our e-learning activities will be put on our Web site to make them more broadly accessible to students and teachers," Hamilton said.
The first module, which shows how a member of Congress decides to vote, already has been completed and can be seen on the center's Web site. Students assume the role of a congressman and are asked to vote on a mock bill that proposes a constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burning. The exercise simulates the way members study an issue; talk with constituents, party members, special interest groups and experts; and then vote on a bill.
"Our system of representative democracy simply cannot function well if large numbers of Americans think Congress is irrelevant or even harmful and have simply given up on the system," Hamilton said. "We are excited about the prospect of using interactive technology to explain Congress to students and to interest them in its work."
The late Henry R. Luce, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., established the Henry Luce Foundation in 1936. Today, with assets of about $1.1 billion, the New York-based organization supports work that reflects the interests of four generations of the Luce family. These include the interdisciplinary exploration of higher education and public affairs and public policy programs.
For more information on the Center on Congress, go to its Web site, call 812-856-4706 or send an e-mail to congress@indiana.edu