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The follow is a preliminary English translation of the "Curso Hemisférico a Distancia para Maestros: La Carta Democrática Interamericana" implemented by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, with the sponsorship and support of the Governments of Peru, the United States of America, Argentina, and National Distance Learning University of Spain. The purpose of sharing these materials is to promote analysis and design of a new course in the Caribbean.

The Organization of American States and the Peruvian Ministry of Education, using the education platform of the National Distance Education University of Spain (UNED), are pleased to present the "Introductory Course on the Inter-American Democratic Charter".

The Inter-American Democratic Charter (IDC) was signed in Lima on September 11, 2001. Its 28 articles define democracy and establish mechanisms for defending it. The Charter reflects the political will of 34 nations and defines for the first time the elements of democracy that are deemed essential by the member states of the OAS.

The Inter-American Democratic Charter highlights, among other important aspects, the need to develop programs and activities to promote democratic principles and practices and to strengthen the democratic culture in the hemisphere. It also establishes a commitment to pay special attention to the development of programs and activities for the education of children and youth, as a way of ensuring the continuance of democratic values.

The Inter-American Democratic Charter offers an integral vision of the democracy that we aspire to promote and strengthen over the long term, by developing a democratic culture in our communities. This integral concept of democracy is not limited to the periodic holding of free elections, but embraces full respect for human rights as a form of living together in society; efforts to overcome poverty; and the generation of conditions to facilitate sustainable economic development and social progress for the peoples of the Americas.

In August 2003, the Third Meeting of Ministers of Education of the Americas was held in Mexico City. The final declaration from that meeting expresses the need to incorporate the Inter-American Democratic Charter into the education curriculum of OAS member states.

The Introductory Course on the Inter-American Democratic Charter is intended to give teachers in primary and secondary school, and other interested persons, an initial overview of the essential elements of democracy in light of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

1. Understand that democratic values, principles and procedures are not limited to the field of political activity but must permeate all activities and all spheres of action, particularly in school and in the classroom.

2. Be familiar with the basic institutions that sustain democracy as a form of social organization and government.

3. Be aware of the general features of the organization and functioning of the OAS, and the tools that have been developed to defend and promote democracy and human rights.

4. Be familiar with the Inter-American Democratic Charter (IDC) as an instrument synthesizing democratic principles and values, and be able to relate it to other international treaties and conventions, in particular the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, and to the constitutions of their respective countries.

5. Be equipped with useful tools for generating attitudes and conduct as expressed in democratic classroom processes.

6. Be able to design activities to be conducted in the classroom and in school, and to the extent possible in the community, that will contribute to building good citizens.

The course is organized to cover a total of 20 hours, of which the first two hours are devoted to working with the ALF 2 platform of the National Distance Education University of Spain. The remainder of the course is devoted squarely to the specific subject matter and consists of three modules: the first covers the essential elements of democracy and the Inter-American Democratic Charter; the second considers the rights and duties of citizens in a democracy and the tools for giving effect to them, and the third relates to the challenges that democracy faces in its process of consolidation.

Participants are incorporated into the virtual classroom and with the guidance of Distance Tutors will progress through the contents of the course and perform the planned tasks within a general work schedule that leaves room for each participant to work at his own pace.

The course employs the online training methodology, based on adult self-learning guided by a multimedia system, the main elements of which are:

1. The virtual classroom for the course (installed on the ALF/UNED platform), in which course participants will find tools relating to:

2. The asynchronous tutorial. The course tutors will monitor the communication mailbox, answer questions, organize online forums or meetings of participants, and guide participants through the course, and correct the final examination.

The evaluation consists of two multiple-answer examinations and automatic online correction, which should be completed upon conclusion of modules A and B. Participants who pass the two tests will be entitled to take the final examination, which consists of writing an essay online on one of several suggested themes. The participants who pass this examination will be awarded a certificate.

Participants who complete the introductory course may go on to the fourth module, the "Regional Distance Course for Teachers: the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the Teaching of Democratic Practices and Values", where they will find bibliography, teaching instruments, and access to a toolbox for creating "Democratic Classrooms", as the ideal arena for dialogue, tolerance, consensus and solidarity, the basic values of the democratic model.

The course offers an initial overview of the key aspects of modern democracy and the challenges facing a society in constant change.

The Inter-American Democratic Charter will serve as the main highway in this direction, along which the teacher will find:

a) Mandatory stops for reviewing matters covered (valuations and self-evaluation's);

b) Secondary roads along which the teacher may delve more deeply into a given topic or access additional information (TO LEARN MORE);

c) Service stations, where the teacher may undertake extra activities (LEARNING BY DOING).

The ideas, affirmations, opinions and criteria contained on this site do not necessary reflect the positions of the General Secretariat or that of the Member States of the Organization of American States.

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