New survey findings from the Institute of American Civics, housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, suggest that civic knowledge may play an important role in fostering tolerance for opposing political views and strengthening civil discourse in Tennessee. The survey of 1,099 Tennessee adults was conducted in November […]
At the Florida State University Institute for Governance and Civics, Morgan Marietta engaged in a lively, respectful debate with constitutional scholar Sanford Levinson on whether the United States should hold a new constitutional convention. Marietta argued against such a move, emphasizing the enduring strength of the Constitution as a system designed to promote unity, protect […]
The Institute of American Civics (IAC) hosted its second annual Undergraduate Civics Symposium in downtown Knoxville, bringing together more than 150 students from 14 institutions across Tennessee and beyond for a day of dialogue centered on American Patriotism at 250. Designed to strengthen civic knowledge and model civil discourse, the symposium invited students to engage […]
Questions about the future of higher education took center stage as Shep Melnick, the Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Professor of American Politics at Boston College and co-chair of the Harvard Program on Constitutional Government, delivered The Institute of American Civics’ inaugural Tocqueville Lecture, examining whether meaningful reform can, or should, come from the federal government. […]
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Institute of American Civics will expand civics education across the state by hosting its Tennessee Civics Academy at three sites: Nashville (May 27-29), Knoxville (June 10-12) and Memphis (June 24-26). Supported by a grant awarded to the IAC by the U.S. Department of Education in 2025, the Tennessee Civics Academy offers professional development to Tennessee K-12 […]
The Supreme Court on Dec. 5, 2025, agreed to review the long-simmering controversy over birthright citizenship. It will likely hand down a ruling next summer. In January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order removing the recognition of citizenship for the U.S.-born children of both immigrants here illegally and visitors here only temporarily. The new rule is […]
The most influential cases before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, which begins on Oct. 6, 2025, reflect the cultural and partisan clashes of American politics. The major cases in October and November address the role of race in elections, conversion therapy and the Trump tariffs. Later cases include campaign finance and transgender sports. This […]