Civic Learning

As we move into a turbulent century, our nation’s democracy and our interdependent global community require a more informed, engaged, and socially responsible citizenry. Both educators and employers agree that personal and social responsibility are core elements of a 21st century education. A recent survey of AAC&U members confirms that many institutions are placing more emphasis on civic education by developing innovative educational practices that advance learning outcomes essential for responsible citizenship, at home and abroad. Such educational innovations include thematically linked learning communities, community-based research, global learning focused on real-world challenges, service-learning, diversity programs that promote learning across differences, reflective experiential learning, and curricular experiences that teach students how systems work and can be changed. Through its many projects and publications, AAC&U builds national awareness of civic and democratic learning and supports campus capacity for those outcomes that are essential for life, work, and citizenship in the 21st century. This effort is part of AAC&U’s ongoing commitment to help all students achieve the essential outcomes of a quality liberal education.

Learn more about our civic learning partnerships and past projects, and for additional information on related initiatives, please see Global Learning and Diversity.

Reports and Statements

A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future (pdf) (2012)
Civic Institutional Matrix (pdf) (2012)
Promising Practices for Personal and Social Responsibility: Findings from a National Research Collaborative (pdf) (2012)
Report of Evidence on Civic Learning in Higher Education (pdf) (2012)
Inside Higher Ed Audio Conference, "Restoring Civic Education" (Moderator, AAC&U Senior Vice President Caryn McTighe Musil, Feb. 22, 2012)
Civic Provocations (A Bringing Theory to Practice publication, pdf) (2012)
The Drama of Diversity and Democracy: Higher Education and American Commitments - Second Edition (2011)
Engaging Diverse Viewpoints: What Is the Campus Climate for Perspective-Taking? (2010)
Developing a Moral Compass: What Is the Campus Climate for Ethics and Academic Integrity? (2010)
Civic Responsibility: What Is the Campus Climate for Learning? (2009)
The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad: Higher Education and the Quest for Global Citizenship (2009)
Should Colleges Focus More On Personal and Social Responsibility? (2008 Campus Climate Survey Results, pdf)
Civic Engagement at the Center: Building a Democracy through Integrated Cocurricular and Curricular Experiences (2008)

Diversity & Democracy issues and articles

Advancing Equity on Campuses and in Communities (Diversity & Democracy, Volume 16, Number 2, Spring 2013)
Transformative Partnerships at Home and Abroad (Diversity & Democracy, Volume 16, Number 1, Winter 2013)
Civic Engagement and Student Success: A Resonant Relationship (Diversity & Democracy, Volume 15, Number 3, Fall 2012)
Higher Education for Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement: Reinvesting in Longstanding Commitments (Diversity & Democracy, Volume 14: No. 3, 2011)
Civic Identity: Locating Self in Community (Diversity & Democracy, Volume 11: No. 2, 2008)
Student Leadership: Making a Difference in the World (Diversity Digest, Volume 10: No. 6, 2006)
The Civic Work of Diversity (Diversity Digest, Volume 9: No. 1, 2005)

Liberal Education issues and articles

Liberal Education for Sustainability
(Liberal Education, Fall 2012)
Shared Futures, Difficult Choices: Reclaiming a Democratic Vision for College Learning, Global Engagement, and Success (Liberal Education, Summer 2012)
Diversity and Civic Learning: New Directions, New Research (Liberal Education, Spring 2012)
Civic Engagement and Psychosocial Well-Being, (Liberal Education, Spring 2011)
Global Positioning: Essential Learning, Student Success, and the Currency of US Degrees (Liberal Education, Summer/Fall, 2011)
Strengthening the Foundations of Students' Excellence, Integrity, and Social Contribution (Liberal Education, Spring 2010)
2008 Annual Meeting (Liberal Education, Summer 2008)
Bringing Theory to Practice
(Liberal Education, Winter 2007)
Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility (Liberal Education Summer/Fall 2005)

Peer Review issues and articles

Student Political Engagement (Peer Review, Spring/Summer 2008)
Bringing Theory to Practice (Peer Review, Summer 2007)
Educating for Citizenship (Peer Review, Spring 2003)

Browse All AAC&U Titles

Global Learning in College: Asking Big Questions, Engaging Urgent Challenges in Providence, Rhode Island, October 3-5, 2013.
Transforming STEM Education: Inquiry, Innovation, Inclusion, and Evidence in San Diego, California, October 31-November 2, 2013.
AAC&U’s 2014 Annual Meeting: QUALITY, E-QUALITY, AND OPPORTUNITY How Educational Innovations Will Make—or Break— America’s Global Future in Washington, DC, January 22-25, 2014. Proposals Due July 15, 2013.
GENERAL EDUCATION AND ASSESSMENT: Disruptions, Innovations, and Opportunities in Portland, Oregon, February 27–March 1, 2014. Proposals due July 17, 2013.

2013 Summer Institutes

Institute on General Education and Assessment at the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, June 1-5, 2013.
Institute on High-Impact Practices and Student Success at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, June 11-14, 2013.
Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, July 10-14, 2013.
PKAL Summer Leadership Institute for STEM Faculty at the Baca Campus of Colorado College in Crestone, Colorado, July 23-28 OR July 30-August 4, 2013.

See stories on campus innovations in AAC&U News

Caryn McTighe Musil, Senior Scholar and Director of Civic Learning and Democracy Initiatives
Ken Leon, Administrative Assistant, Civic Learning and Democracy Initiatives

Resources | Civic Learning