Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference II: Post-secondary Civic Education Today: Reports from the Field

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Part of Mini-Conference

• Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference II

Session Description

In the early and middle 20th century, in the wake of the 19th Amendment and historically high levels of immigration, American colleges and universities often took the education of democratic citizens (actual and potential) as central to their mission. Many schools designed mandatory curricula accordingly. Today, after a long hiatus, civic education is again a live issue in a growing number of post-secondary institutions. In the context of intensifying criticism (especially, but not only from the Right) of the direction of American universities; of questions about the purpose and value of higher education, of fierce debates about immigration, naturalization, and citizenship; and of increasing concern about the future of democracy, politicians, administrators and faculty have become involved in designing and implementing civics curricula imagined as appropriate for the 21st century.

The impetus for the new programs comes in some cases from elected officials (state governors, legislators). It sometimes takes the form of legislative mandates for public universities, especially in red states. In other cases, however, it is line faculty who are leading the effort to restore a focus on civic education. Post-secondary civics programs that are newly instituted, in-preparation, or still in preliminary planning stage vary dramatically in form and content. Large and small, public and private, well-resourced and financially challenged institutions face very different sets of issues. Programs vary substantially in ideological focus. Yet there are several issues that appear to be common across a range of the new civics initiatives: These include a perceived need to address questions of academic freedom and freedom of expression; the desirability and difficulty of fostering civil discourse among students with different social identities, life experiences, and value commitments; and the imperative of honoring viewpoint diversity. How do do all that, while avoiding devolving into mere indoctrination, in a context of increasing political polarization, omnipresent social media, and a general decline of trust in institutions? That is a set if primary challenges faced by every 21st century civics program.

Our panel features instructors at different career stages. They teach at public and private institutions, varying widely in size and resources. Each of our panelists is involved in planning and/or implementing civics programs. Those programs, and the faculty and administrators most responsible for them, have ideological profiles that may reasonably be identified as ranging from liberal/progressive to conservative. But those programs are also publicly committed to presenting an education that rejects ideological posturing and proselytizing.

All panel participants will have participated in a preliminary in-person workshop, to be held at Stanford in April 2024. The attendees at the workshop are motivated, first, by a shared belief that there is indeed a growing interest in post-secondary civic education among faculty, administrators, alumni, legislators, and ordinary citizens - as well as on the part of many students. And by a conviction that the interest in civics needs to be addressed, both by courses and by experiential learning. Next, we share an awareness of pluralistic diversity: civic education programs at four-year post-secondary institutions will necessarily be different, in form and content, at different kinds of post-secondary institutions and in different parts of the country. Finally, we are motivated by the hope that, despite those manifold differences, there may be some areas of agreement, such that faculty sincerely committed to the higher education of democratic citizens could commit to certain core principles. We hope that the Stanford workshop will result in a preliminary draft of shared principles - or alternatively a clearer idea of why agreement could not be reached.

The panel will feature brief statements from each participant, describing civic education-relevant developments at their institution, sketching accomplishments, but also noting problems and impediments. We will report on progress (or lack thereof) in developing shared principles that could be adopted at different institutions. The bulk of the session will be devoted to Q&A, among the participants and the audience. The goal of the panel is to present a (necessarily partial) picture of the state of civic education programming at four-year colleges and universities, highlighting diversity of approaches and common themes; and both approaches that have been so-far successful approaches and those that have encountered roadblocks.

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Chair

• Stephen Macedo Princeton University

Presenters

• Josiah Ober Stanford University

• Simon Gilhooley Bard College

• Jenna Silber Storey American Enterprise Institute

• Minh Vy Ly University of Vermont

• Jed William Atkins University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• Nathan John Pinkoski University of Florida

• Jacqueline Arthur-Montagne University of Virginia