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 Should adults in our democracy participate in one year of mandatory national service? 

 Overview 

This is a Structured Academic Deliberation that considers the question about mandatory national service. Students read a background report that draws from several sources, including the 2020 report, “Inspired to Serve,” from the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, and then consider arguments related to the question. The lesson walks through the deliberation exercise and ends with a poll to determine the group’s position on the question. 

Objectives 

  • Define national service in terms of citizen participation. 
  • Understand the importance of citizen participation in the national life of democratic societies. 
  • Identify important elements and examples of national service in democratic countries that have it. 
  • Analyze the reasons for supporting and opposing compulsory national service. 
  • Identify areas of agreement and disagreement with other students. 
  • Decide, individually and as a group, whether all adult citizens should participate in one year of mandatory national service; support their decisions based on evidence and sound policy. 
  • Reflect on the value of deliberation when deciding issues in a democracy. 

Time Needed: 1 class period + homework or 2 class periods 

Question for Deliberation 

Should adults in our democracy participate in one year of mandatory national service? 

Materials (copies for all students) 

  • Lesson Procedures (copy for facilitator only) 
  • National Service Background Reading 
  • Deliberation Question with Arguments handouts (optional—use if students need support extracting the arguments) 
  • Handout 1—Student Deliberation Guide 
  • Handout 2—Student Deliberation Worksheet 
  • Handout 3—Student Reflection on Deliberation 

© American Bar Association, 2023. Adapted for Law Day 2023 by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education from Deliberating in a Democracy deliberation on “National Service” available at www.deliberating.org. © 2011, 2005, 2006 Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Law Day is a program of the American Bar Association through its Division for Public Education. Information and opinions contained in these materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the American Bar Association, its members, or governing entities. All materials herein may be reproduced for distribution to public audiences, including but not limited to educational purposes. Learn more at www.lawday.org. 

Lesson Procedures 

1. Introduction 

Introduce the lesson and the Student Objectives on the Lesson Plan. Distribute and discuss Handout 1—Deliberation Guide. Review the Rules of Deliberation and post them in a prominent position in the classroom. Emphasize that the class will deliberate and then debrief the experience. 

2. Reading 

Distribute a copy of the National Service Background Reading to each student. Have students read the article carefully and underline facts and ideas they think are important and/or interesting (ideally for homework ahead of the deliberation class time). 

3. Grouping and Reading Discussion 

Divide the class into groups of 4 students. Group members should share important facts and interesting ideas with each other to develop a common understanding of the article. They can record these facts and ideas on Handout 2—Deliberation Activities (Review the Reading). 

4. Introducing the Deliberation Question 

The Reading addresses a Deliberation Question. Read aloud and/or post the Deliberation Question and ask students to write the Deliberation Question in the space provided on Handout 2. Remind students of the Rules for Deliberation on Handout 1. 

5. Learning the Reasons 

Divide each group of 4 into 2 teams of 2 students, assign one team of 2 to argue YES to the resolution, and the other team of 2 to argue NO to the resolution. Explain that each team is responsible for selecting the most compelling reasons for its position. Both teams should use the Reading to identify arguments that support or oppose the resolution. To ensure maximum participation, ask everyone on the team to prepare to present at least one reason. 

Note: The teams in each group do not communicate while learning the reasons. If students need help identifying the arguments or time is limited, use the Deliberation Question with Arguments handouts. Ask students to identify the most compelling arguments and add any additional ones they may remember from the reading. 

© American Bar Association, 2023. Adapted for Law Day 2023 by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education from Deliberating in a Democracy deliberation on “National Service” available at www.deliberating.org. © 2011, 2005, 2006 Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Law Day is a program of the American Bar Association through its Division for Public Education. Information and opinions contained in these materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the American Bar Association, its members, or governing entities. All materials herein may be reproduced for distribution to public audiences, including but not limited to educational purposes. Learn more at www.lawday.org. 

6. Presenting the Most Compelling Reasons Explain to students that each team will present the most compelling reasons to support or oppose the Deliberation Question. In preparation for the next step, Reversing Positions, have each team listen carefully for the most compelling reasons. 

  • Team YES will explain their reasons for supporting the Deliberation Question. If Team NO does not understand something, they should ask questions but NOT argue. 
  • Team NO will explain their reasons for opposing the Deliberation Question. If Team YES does not understand something, they should ask questions, but NOT argue. 

Note: The teams may not believe in or agree with their reasons but should be as convincing as possible when presenting them to others. 

7. Reversing Positions 

Explain to students that to demonstrate that each side understands the opposing arguments, they’re switching—each team will select the other team’s most compelling reasons. 

  • Team NO will explain to Team YES what Team YES’s most compelling reasons were for supporting the Deliberation Question. 
  • Team YES will explain to Team NO what Team NO’s most compelling reasons were for opposing the Deliberation Question. 

8. Deliberating the Question 

Explain that students will now drop their Team YES/NO roles and deliberate the question as a group. Remind the class of the question. In deliberating, students can (1) use what they have learned about the issue and (2) offer their personal experiences as they formulate opinions regarding the issue. 

After deliberating, ask students to find areas of agreement in their group. Then ask students, as individuals, to express to the group their personal position on the issue and write it down (see My Personal Position on Handout 2). 

Note: Individual students do NOT have to agree with the group. 

9. Debriefing the Deliberation 

Reconvene the entire class. Distribute Handout 3—Student Reflection on Deliberation as a guide. Ask students to discuss the following questions: 

  • What were the most compelling reasons for each side? What were the areas of agreement? 
  • What questions do you still have? Where can you get more information? 
  • What are some reasons why deliberating this issue is important in a democracy? 
  • What might you or your class do to address this problem? Options include teaching others about what they have learned; writing to elected officials, NGOs, or businesses; and conducting additional research. 

© American Bar Association, 2023. Adapted for Law Day 2023 by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education from Deliberating in a Democracy deliberation on “National Service” available at www.deliberating.org. © 2011, 2005, 2006 Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Law Day is a program of the American Bar Association through its Division for Public Education. Information and opinions contained in these materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the American Bar Association, its members, or governing entities. All materials herein may be reproduced for distribution to public audiences, including but not limited to educational purposes. Learn more at www.lawday.org. 

Consider having students prepare personal reflections on the Deliberation Question through written, visual, or audio essays. Personal opinions can be posted on the web. 

10. Student Poll/Student Reflection 

Ask students: “Do you agree, disagree, or are you still undecided about the Deliberation Question?” Have students complete Handout 3. Share with students what you observed about their deliberation process, and thank them for participating.