Do you think subjects such as politics and sociology should be offered as a study option earlier on in schooling?

I am asking this based on my personal experience in Britain(there may be U.S. schools where people can already study these subjects at age 11.)Some aspects of these subjects may cross into subjects like history, but not in depth. Many young children may find these subjects difficult, but when a person starts secondary school (age 11) should they have the chance to study an introductory course in these subjects?
Do you think introducing these subjects at a younger age is a waste of time because children may have no interest, or simply that these subjects are not important?
Or do you think these subjects have as much relevance, if not more relevance, to the world a person leaving school will enter?

Votes	Answer
0	They should be compulsory
23	People should have the chance to study them earlier
0	Just sociology should be offered
0	Just politics should be offered
11	The system is fine as it is
1	They should not be studied at all
5	I have no opinion
3	Other

User	Comment
ILJ	posted 22-Mar-2000 9:37am I had to pick Other, since I wanted to pick both the first and second options. Taking Civics out of American curricula was one of the key steps to growing our government into the monster it is today.
SueBee	posted 24-Mar-2000 1:19pm I think it would be fine to offer these subjects at an earlier age if it was presented in a way that would be interesting to the kids. I wonder, though, if there is time to cram in this sort of thing when they are already busy with the basics of reading, writing, and math.
mandy	posted 24-Mar-2000 8:15pm Oh shut, up you drunk! falls over
drdt	posted 25-Mar-2000 11:53am SB: one might argue that the basics of reading, writing, and math are secondary to social sciences. You don't need writing or math to understand your fellow people.
supplicant	posted 25-Mar-2000 11:58am SueBee: depends on the student. I was certainly not learning the "basics of reading, writing, and math" at age 11... at age 10 I was correcting the classes Maths homework because the teacher had other things they needed to be doing. I for one would have been glad to have studied something interesting instead of hearing the same stuff I already knew over and over again... who knows, I might have even stayed in school.
SueBee	posted 25-Mar-2000 1:40pm I suppose things do go slow for the smarter kids. I guess we need more programs that provide challenges for the kids who get ahead of others.
Zang	posted 25-Apr-2000 8:10am Sure, why not?

Last
Advanced_Stats

If you'd like to vote and/or comment on this survey, please Sign On

Link this survey: http://surveycentral.org/survey/3779.html

Hits: 1 today (3 in the last 30 days)

Last	Type	Created	Category	Creator	Sort	Votes	Hides	Rating
Last	single	21-Mar-2000	opinion	cookiekid	unsorted	57	9	49.0%