Register for civics education conference by Monday

Registration is open through Monday, Feb. 3, for Iowa State's inaugural professional development conference on civics instruction. "Civics Across the Curriculum and Co-curriculum" will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19 (noon-4:30 p.m., Memorial Union), and the intent is that participants learn more about ways to narrow the gaps among Iowa State students in civic literacy, skills and disposition -- a willingness to influence government policy. Registration is free and the online form is short.

Faculty and staff who can't clear their calendar for the whole afternoon may attend as their schedule permits. They're still asked to register and email the Catt Center staff about when they'll attend.

Catt Center and Cyclone Civics director and professor of political science Karen Kedrowski reiterated that all interested faculty and staff are welcome.

"We especially encourage staff in student-facing positions and faculty in the STEM fields to participate, given that STEM students appear to be less engaged in civics than students in other fields," she said.

Conference details

The conference begins with lunch and the keynote talk by Frederick Lawrence, secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a distinguished lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.

Much of the afternoon has been carved into two 45-minute breakout sessions. In the first, participants will choose from three workshops on civic education co-curriculum led by professional facilitators:

  • Abbey Vogel, Science Rising, a partner in the Union of Concerned Scientists, an organization that advocates for using science to solve the world's challenges
  • Nathan Beacom, founder and executive director of the Lyceum Movement, a Des Moines-based organization that advocates for public conversations that lead to understanding and building community
  • Matthew Pollard, partnerships manager for Unify America, which aims to "replace political fighting with collaborative problem-solving"

In the second, participants will choose from five workshops led by ISU faculty and staff teams on strategies and methods for teaching civic skills in the classroom:

  • Ethics Bowl model: Teaching skills of respect and dialogue
  • Service learning and community partnerships (2)
  • Immersive history and art for civic engagement at the Farm House museum
  • Sociocultural consciousness in teacher preparation: Facing history and ourselves

The last hour of the conference includes a 30-minute roundtable when participants can exchange ideas and strategize around a specific theme in small groups and a wrap-up time with observations from Kedrowski, Liberal Arts and Sciences dean Ben Withers and provost Jason Keith.

The conference is part of a new multi-year effort, Cyclone Civics, which addresses the Iowa Board of Regents' 2023 directive #9 that each university establish a "widespread initiative that includes opportunities for education and research on free speech and civic education." The board approved the directives following its six-month review of diversity, equity and inclusion programming and efforts at Iowa's three public universities.

 

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