Welcome to the second issue of the ACA newsletter! Each month, we’ll feature webinar discussions, resources, and ACA members’ work connected to a central theme. Our first few issues are spotlighting past webinar discussions from our series.
You’ll also find updates on upcoming ACA programming and other events hosted by members of our network, along with profiles of ACA members who are doing exemplary work in the civics space. We hope you enjoy the April issue, and please feel welcome to send us resources and news to share in future issues.
WEBINAR
“We have to acquaint all of our students with what reasoned civic discourse looks like in our own classrooms. There are many rich ways for students to engage with being an informed citizen, and we must see civic education as transformational across the curriculum.”
—Jennifer McNabb
"How Can Universities Strengthen Civic Education In K–12 Schools?" with Meira Levinson, Jennifer McNabb, Joshua Dunn, and Jenna Storey on March 4, 2026
“All of us can learn from the wisdom and insights of people who come from traditions very different from our own. That should become the norm in our pluralistic United States, where we treat each other not only with respect but as fellow citizens from whom we can learn.”
—Robert George
“Building Civic Unity in a Religiously Diverse Democracy” with Eboo Patel, Robert George, Fr. Francisco Nahoe, and Josh Ober on March 18, 2026.
SYLLABI
- Principles of Democracy (Zaytuna College)
- This course examines the development of Western democratic theory from ancient Greece to the present, tracing the reciprocal relationship between evolving democratic ideas and the institutions that embody them. Through readings from Thucydides to Tocqueville—and including a modern exploration of Islamic political thought—students will investigate how thinkers and movements have defined, defended, and critiqued democracy’s core ideals of liberty, equality, and justice, cultivating both historical understanding and critical engagement with democratic theory today.
- Political Dialogue (University of Virginia)
- This course explores the role of political dialogue in democracy, asking whether civil discourse can strengthen democratic life or reinforce inequality and oppression. Integrating theory and practice, students engage in structured dialogues across political differences and analyze their experiences through political theory, primary sources, and contemporary commentary.
- Challenge of Citizenship (University of Montana)
- This course explores the meaning and practice of citizenship amid deep social divisions, using the Third Way Civics approach to help students engage constructively with enduring disagreements about self-government, history, and civic identity. Through collaborative inquiry, discussion, and reflection, students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to act as thoughtful, empathetic, and effective citizens in diverse communities.
PROFILE SPOTLIGHT: Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis is the program director of Civic Education at Arizona State University’s Center for American Civics (CAC), a nonpartisan outreach center dedicated to strengthening K–12 students’ knowledge of American civics and civil discourse skills. Under Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, the CAC primarily focuses on teachers’ professional development and offers high-quality civic education resources. Davis notes the importance of adopting a balanced approach when implementing these programs that shape K–12 civic education: “We want students to build a factual knowledge base, but we also need to teach shared values and dispositions for ideal citizenship.”
Davis views civil disagreement skills as an essential part of the K–12 civic education experience: “Students need to get experiences practicing what rational civil disagreement looks like and what dialogue looks like when we seek to learn rather than seek to win.” Structured Academic Controversy, for instance, is a learning strategy developed by the CAC that urges students to embrace similarities across differences and appreciate our shared humanity. Looking ahead, the CAC is hosting social studies teacher workshops designed specifically for grades 6–12 educators in the coming months. The CAC will also continue to develop its Civics in a Year initiative: a podcast series releasing 250 episodes on American democracy in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.
THE CIVIC PROFILE
The Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) launched the Civic Profile earlier this month. Akin to a “civics Myers-Briggs,” the Civic Profile is an online educational and research tool that helps individuals explore their civic identity across three dimensions: civic values, knowledge, and engagement.
Discover your Civic Profile now.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
- The Civic Learning Week National Forum by Joanna Kenty via The Renovator (March 15, 2026)
- Why Technocratic Liberalism Failed by Danielle Allen and Yascha Mounk via Persuasion (February 28, 2026)
- The State of American Citizenship by Bill Whalen, Chester E. Finn Jr., and Thomas Schnaubelt via Matters of Policy & Politics (February 27, 2026)
- A Solid Core Enlivens Free Speech and Viewpoint Diversity by Peter Berkowitz via RealClearPolitics (February 22, 2026)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- “Historical Thinking and Democratic Citizenship”
- ACA webinar with Suzanne Marchand, Jeffrey Collins, Jonathan Gienapp, and Mary Clark on April 22, 2026, 9:00–10:00 am PT.
- Click here to register.
- Check out previous sessions in the webinar series!
- Regrounding Liberal Arts Education Workshop
- Participants will learn how to develop place-based liberal arts learning experiences of their own. These could take the form of a course, major requirement, paracurricular program, college-wide opportunity, or new organization. Over two days, Gull Island Institute directors, faculty, and local partners will guide participants through each step of a proposal development and program implementation process. Workshop participants will also directly take part in experiential pedagogies through communally preparing meals.
- Hosted by Gull Island Institute on May 1–3, 2026, in person at Marlboro College Campus, Marlboro, Vermont
- Please register here by April 6.
Want to highlight your event in next month’s newsletter? Send us an email at aca-hoover@stanford.edu.
GET INVOLVED
Help make our community of practice as useful and impactful for educators as possible by sharing your work, ideas, and experiences!
- Visit our website to access course syllabi developed by ACA members, civics program descriptions, research and policy proposals, op-eds, book reviews, and more.
- Contribute to our community of practice by submitting your syllabi, research, commentary, and other field-building materials to aca-hoover@stanford.edu.
- Apply to host an ACA-sponsored conference.
- Apply or nominate a colleague for membership in the ACA.
WHO WE ARE
The Alliance for Civics in the Academy (ACA) is a nonpartisan network of instructors dedicated to strengthening postsecondary civic education. Drawing together faculty from across disciplines, regions, and viewpoints, the ACA fosters a community of practice devoted to improving the teaching of citizenship in a constitutional democracy—through shared resources, collaborative learning, and open inquiry.
