Civics in Action

Catalog description

This course explores the U.S civic tradition as a living cultural conversation–a dynamic, ongoing exchange through which people have interpreted and redefined the ideals that shape public life in the United States. Grounded in shared texts, ideas, and symbols, this tradition provides a common language for communication, debate, and appeals for social action across generations. Students investigate how groups throughout the history of the United States have interpreted and contested these ideals, and connect past debates to the civic challenges and public conversations that continue to shape U.S. life today. Drawing on perspectives from anthropology and sociology, the course examines how people actively draw on civic traditions to create, contest, and enforce competing visions of belonging, authority, and the common good.