What should an educated citizen know beyond the basic features of American government? If students could take a short sequence of college-level courses aimed at preparing them for citizenship, which ideas and arguments would best equip them for lives of meaning and purpose in our constitutional republic?
Our answer is a course sequence that links American constitutional principles to the cultural inheritances and social practices that sustain self-government. The goal is to cultivate the wisdom needed for responsible citizenship: the capacity to judge prudently, to weigh competing goods, and to deliberate with others amid disagreement.
A flourishing country depends not only on laws, but also on the habits, norms, and associations through which citizens learn to live together. The civics curriculum invites students to think foundationally about human nature, social relationships, and the purposes of political community, and to bring those lessons to bear on contemporary life.
In addition to thinking in terms of domestic political order, informed citizens need an understanding of the international order and the U.S.’s place within it. Because our world is deeply interconnected, the Civics program also offers courses with an international focus.