An Introduction On Constitutional Education

Constitutional education, a practical activity to promote the construction of constitutionalism, has not been attached much importance among both practitioner and academics. The lack of constitutional education has become a restricted factor in the development of Chinese constitutionalism. Therefore, on the premise that the consensus of constructing constitutionalism in China has been reached, reinforcing the enforcement and research of constitutional education has become an urgent task. On the ground of this, the author makes a primary research on this subject.The first chapter defines the conception of constitutional education which is the so-called teaching and conveying process of constitutional knowledge and spirit; it refers to that educationists have specific influence on the educated through conveying constitutionalism-related social experiences intentionally so as to make them suited for the practical activities needed in the development of constitutionalism society: on this ground, the thesis elaborates the characteristics of constitutional education, which includes that constitutional education is the basic condition of the practice of constitutionalism, and the latter is the basic carrier of the former, and constitutional education is the cultivation and growing process of constitutionalism civilization. Then, this thesis examines the integral elements of constitutional education which consists of the educated (including government and entire citizens), educationists (including government and social elites having mastered the essence of constitutionalism), and influence and so on so forth.The second chapter mainly discussed the contents of constitutional education. First of all, from the point of view of constitutionalism is "human rights protective law", this thesis holds that the primary content of constitutional education is the education of rights, and constitutional education is what guides citizen how to exercise rights properly and how to be as a qualified citizen. Second, from the point of view that constitutionalism is "power collocation law", this thesis put forward that power education is the core link of constitutional, education, and demonstrates it by the facts that constitutional education is what teaches the government how to exercise power properly and how to guide the society towards constitutionalism. Third, from the pointof view that democracy has an affinity to constitutionalism, this theses promotes that the education of democracy is one of the core contents of the constitutional education, and believes that constitutional education is what instructs the government to rule the country by correct democratic idea and what teaches the society to accept the democratic way of thinking. Fourth, from the point of view that constitutionalism is normative, this thesis holds that the education of norms is also one of the contents of constitutional education, and hold the opinion that constitutional education is a basic condition that the functions of constitutional norms can be realized and is a key element that constitutional order can be shopped and safeguarded. In conclusion, this thesis holds that to establish the authority of constitutionalism, the belief in constitutionalism should be established in the first place, therefore, constitutional education is not only a teaching of constitutional knowledge, but also a cultivation of the belief in constitutionalism.The third chapter can be divided into two parts. The first part discusses the motivating factors of constitutional education: interests-drive, political choice, social development and cultural traditions; the second part discusses the realizing means of constitutional education: mass media, family influence, school education and specific practice of constitutionalism.The fourth chapter mainly puts forwards the values constitutional education contributing to the construction of constitutionalism which include that it is the catalyst of constitutionalism awareness, it is the orientation indicator of constitutional beha...