Summer Institute of Civic Studies

Posted by on February 22, 2010

Announcing the Second Annual Summer Institute of Civic Studies at Tisch College, Tufts University

July 12-24, 2010,
Medford, Massachusetts

Led by Peter Levine, Tisch College, and Karol Soltan, University of Maryland, with guest speakers

The Summer Institute is an intensive, two-week interdisciplinary seminar intended primarily for advanced graduate students and also open to faculty and reflective practitioners.

We begin with a conception of the citizen as a creative agent who does not simply acquiesce in the demands of the political community, but also works to reform and improve it. A citizen is the co-creator of the worlds to which she or he belongs. Our main questions are: What kinds of citizens (if any) do good communities need? How and when can citizens improve communities and institutions?  What should citizens know, believe, and do? What institutional structures promote the right kinds of citizenship? How do individuals learn civic skills, habits, values, dispositions, and knowledge?

The Institute consists of three seminars each day for nine days, followed by a public conference on July 23-24. There are demanding readings for every session but no writing assignments.

Tuition is free. Lunch is provided daily. No credit is offered for participation, but students may inquire about the possibility of receiving Tufts graduate credit for independent study. Students are responsible for their own housing; one option is to rent a Tufts dormitory room.

Details about the 2010 Institute, application instructions, and background information about the 2009 Institute can be found here:
http://activecitizen.tufts.edu/?pid=714