Foundations of Democracy
(Dasar-dasar Demokrasi)

Foundations of Democracy (FOD) is an innovative civic education strategy for primary school students which discusses democracy and uses basic concepts such as the relationship between students and their families and the government. There are three concepts that were introduced in the FOD program: Authority, Responsibility, and Justice and they synched well with the values of the Indonesian people.

Foundations of Democracy (Dasar Dasar Demokrasi) consists of curricular materials for use with primary school students on four concepts fundamental to an understanding of politics and government. The multidisciplinary curriculum draws upon such fields as political philosophy, political science, law, history, literature, and environmental studies. The Center has developed these materials for three different primary levels: preschool, lower primary, and upper primary.

• The Authority curriculum helps students (1) distinguish between authority and power, (2) examine different sources of authority, (3) use reasonable criteria for selecting people for positions of authority and for evaluating rules and laws, (4) analyze benefits and costs of authority, and (5) evaluate, take, and defend positions on the proper scope and limits of authority.
• The Responsibility curriculum helps students (1) understand the importance of responsibility in a free society, (2) analyze the benefits and costs of responsibility, (3) evaluate, take, and defend positions on how conflicts among competing responsibilities should be resolved, and (4) evaluate, take, and defend positions on personal responsibility
• The Justice curriculum helps students (1) understand and apply the basic principles of justice set forth in fundamental documents of the American political and legal systems, (2) evaluate, take, and defend positions on the fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of society, on fair responses to remedy wrongs and injuries, and on fair procedures for gathering information and making decisions.