The concept of citizenship as the core of civic education

Abstract

The article presents civic consciousness as a crucial component of civic education and the collaboration of a democratic state and civil society. The approaches to the definition of civic consciousness are analyzed. The forms and criteria of the formation of civic consciousness in the process of development of a democratic society are determined. A change of paradigm in scientific image about civic consciousness in various historical and political systems is demonstrated. The problem of civic consciousness forming as a unique quality of the postmodern era is part of the systemically important tasks of Ukrainian statesmanship. Its solution allows realizing the teleological maxim «free man - developed civil society – powerful state». The article states that one of the main goals of national education is to educate competent citizens of a law-governed democratic state, capable of political socialization, respect for rights and freedoms, fulfill the duties of a citizen, and have a civic identity based on national values.
 The phenomenon of civic consciousness and «civic» categories are components of civil society, operated in political participation (active or passive), and are a problematic area of principles for regulating political relations of society, the individual and the state. Civic consciousness indicates the level of development of democratic consciousness, acceptance by citizens of democratic values, experience of democratic relations, which determines the norms of social and legal collaboration of governmental authorities with civil society institutions and individuals. It is defined as a special property of a socially active, self-sufficient personality, which has a determination by the content of historical, civilizational and socio-cultural development.
 The process of acquiring civic qualities is considered in the context of a sociocultural context, when the demonstration of individual behavior is shown as a collaboration of subjective and objective factors. It is noted that the ontological existence of citizenship requires the development of qualities associated with political functions, that is, the ability to be included in the system of relations about power, the ability to collaborate with others for the sake of common goals, the ability to subject to personal interests to common.