Controversial Public Issues Discussion: A Vehicle for Disciplinary Literacy in Civics.

This article examines how controversial public issues (CPI) discussions in a high school Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government and Politics course support the development of disciplinary literacy in civics, focusing on five diverse senior students’ experiences. The teacher employed structured discussion strategies, including debates and Socratic seminars, to foster deliberation, perspective-taking, and evidence-based argumentation, which aligned with disciplinary tools outlined in the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies. While students engaged in critical consumption of political knowledge and practiced civic reasoning, challenges remained in ensuring an open classroom climate for all voices and in developing rigorous media literacy, particularly regarding source evaluation. The study suggests that CPI discussions can effectively promote civic disciplinary skills but recommends more intentional scaffolding and media literacy integration to enhance these outcomes.