Civic education has long been a cornerstone of the liberal arts educational program offered through the degree programs at Tusculum College, and with the publishing of a recent U.S. Department of Education Report on the decline of similar programs, is an example of how civic education can be integrated across curriculums and assimilated as part of the culture of an institution.
The recent report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education and presented Tuesday, January 10, by the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, was reported on this week in the “Chronicle of Higher Education.”
The article, “A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future,” states that “American democracy will confront an increasingly bleak future unless colleges make civic learning a central part of students’ education.”
It continues, stating, “Civic learning and democratic engagement should become explicit goals of college, and take more forms than civics courses. For example, every discipline should teach relevant civic issues and debates.”
Tusculum College is uniquely prepared to offer education that leads to effective citizenship through its focus on the civic arts, integrated throughout its degree programs, according to Dr. Melinda Dukes, vice president for Academic Affairs at Tusculum College.
“At Tusculum we have developed the term civic arts to recapture the original meaning of the phrase ‘liberal arts’ as it was first used by Cicero. The original meaning referred to those skills, attitudes and abilities appropriated to citizenship in a democratic society.”
The new report called for colleges to promote a spirit of public-mindedness, openness and civility and to train students to be civically literate and encourage them to continue working for the public good after graduating.
“Emphasis at Tusculum College is placed on problem-solving with reflective judgment, tied in with the idea of practical wisdom from Tusculum’s history,” said Dr. Bill Garris, assistant professor of psychology.
“At Tusculum College, there has been a 218-year history of civic education and through the years the College has revised and refined its efforts to help students learn to be learners, engaged citizens and servant leaders,” said Garris.
Tusculum College was founded 1794 by a pair of preacher-scholars who ventured to the frontier of their times because they believed this fledgling nation would need citizens, educated and prepared in the civic arts to sustain the new republic. Since that time, the challenges facing the United States have changed, but the need for men and women of character, liberally educated and skilled at prudent, public argument and decision-making has never been greater.
To this day, Tusculum still takes very seriously this charge to educate men and women to work together in groups to solve issues in a way that maximizes good for the community. In the past, these ideas would have found their home in the Roman forum or in the community town hall.
“At Tusculum, these ideas are equally at home in History 201 and Biology 480, as we mentor students to harness course skills and content and work together through discipline-related problems which might occur within a community,” said Garris.
In addition to graduating individuals who have the knowledge and skills necessary for continued learning, an education in the Civic Arts tradition at Tusculum College seeks to graduate students who are prepared to participate in the public discourse that is at the heart of any democratic society and to strive for the continuous improvement of their communities and of the emerging global society, and that is the mission of the Commons Curriculum, said Jeff Lokey, assistant professor of management and director of the Commons Program for Tusculum College.
According to Lokey, the Commons Curriculum is designed to be an integrated curriculum that establishes intellectual common ground through a series of courses and experiences employing both theory and practice, to develop students’ abilities as engaged learners in both the classroom and the community, and to develop the knowledge, skills, perspectives and practical wisdom crucial to effective citizenship. Most specifically, Tusculum seeks to graduate individuals who will become engaged in their communities in various ways and who will know how to most effectively achieve the common good and justice in a global context.
The Commons Curriculum is made up of both theory and practice courses that include courses in arts and humanities, service learning, political and religious traditions, and engaged citizenship. Also as part of the Commons Curriculum, students are required to earn Arts and Lecture Series credits by attending lectures, debates, concerts, plays, readings or other approved events and activities on campus.
In addition, the assessment plans for the Commons Curriculum includes not only the assessment of foundational skills such as writing, public speaking and reflective judgment, but also include the assessment of practices of virtue, which includes self-knowledge, civility and ethics of social responsibility.
Student Ryan Barker, a history and creative writing major from Laurens, S.C., has enjoyed the Commons Curriculum classes and the broad liberal arts curriculum of Tusculum College in general. Currently he is enrolled in Political Traditions of the West, taught by Dr. David Key, assistant professor of history.
“One way Tusculum is great about implementing civic virtues in the classroom is by making it appealing to us. You can’t go wrong when your professor combines Aristotle and zombies.”
He added that the professors believe in the importance of the civic arts and teaching civic virtues and constantly encourage discussion, debate and student engagement.
“We have a very robust core curriculum and have specific courses which are content-related to the civic arts,” said Lokey, adding, “Tusculum remains firm in our commitment to the cultivation of citizenship skills and virtues, and this extends through the coursework and through the assessment process.”
The federal report encourages programs like those at Tusculum and suggests federal grants to encourage other institutions of higher education to build civic learning and democratic engagement into their academic programs.
For more information on the programs of Tusculum College’s Residential or Graduate and Professional Studies programs, contact the Office of Enrollment Management at 800-729-0256.