UT's School of Civic Leadership launches new courses on Western civ, American civics
In August, the school began offering courses for an economics, politics, and philosophy minor, directed by G. Dirk Mateer.
Mateer told Campus Reform that the intent behind this new department is to promote civic leadership and help students have in-depth conversations.
The School of Civic Leadership (SCL) at the University of Texas at Austin is offering new courses this semester as part of its effort to educate students on Western civilization and America’s political roots.
“Students in the SCL encounter the distinct inheritance of Western civilization and the American constitutional tradition as part of a larger quest for wisdom about how to live and how to lead,” the school’s website states. “Public universities owe to citizens an education that enables them to sustain democracy.”
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In August, the school began offering courses for an economics, politics, and philosophy minor, directed by G. Dirk Mateer.
Mateer told Campus Reform that the intent behind this new department is to promote civic leadership and help students have in-depth conversations.
“Our nation is divided. [Philosophy, Politics, and Economics] students are skilled at civil discussions and debate,” Mateer said. “We need a new generation of leaders who are civic-minded and possess hard and soft skills to get their message across. The PPE minor will help reshape the political dialogue on campus, in our communities, and across the country.”
“Instead of a narrowly defined disciplinary focus, PPE students are capable of solving complex problems from a variety of perspectives,” Mateer added. “This ability, combined with a program that emphasizes reading, writing, and speaking makes PPE a highly sought after degree and prepares them for a life of leadership in government, corporations, and non-profits.”
Last month, the SCL also began accepting applicants for a new major in Civics Honors, which will officially commence for the 2024-2025 academic year.
UT’s School of Civic Leadership was formed as a part of the Civitas Institute. Founded in 2021, the institute is “committed to exploring the ideas and institutions that sustain a free society and enable individuals to flourish.”
The institute focuses on programming that emphasizes “independent thought, civil discourse, free speech, reasoned deliberation and intellectual curiosity.”
The Civitas Institute has faced pushback on campus from leftist students and faculty members for its alleged conservative agenda and ties to right-wing donors.
As noted by The Daily Texan, professors such as Stuart Reichler in the College of Natural Sciences expressed skepticism about the institute as well as the courses that are being offered.
“The inference seems to be that they don’t think their (conservative) ideas have much success at universities, and specifically funded this institute as a way to push their political agenda,” Reichler told the outlet. “That’s the part that seems really concerning.”
Jack Son, an electrical and computer engineering senior at UT, is also wary about the apparent conservative financial support that was raised for the institute.
“(The funding of the Civitas Institute) was a bit concerning to me just because it’s political donors, political backers and politicians in the capitol influencing education at UT,” Son told The Daily Texan.
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Despite the leftist pushback to the institute’s programming, others on campus have expressed optimism about its prospects.
“The amount of conversations I’ve had through the School of Civic Leadership has been really great … because it’s not about a debate and it’s not about a political issue and about winning,” sophomore Edward Lacy said. “These conversations can be had unapologetically for the goal of politics and not just the goal for debate, and that’s a really awesome thing.”
