For generations, Stanford students have grappled with what it means to be a citizen in a democratic society.

The university’s commitment to civic education dates back to the Founding Grant, when Jane and Leland Stanford promised to “teach the blessings of liberty regulated by law” and to uphold a “reverence for the great principles of government of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Stanford has continually adapted its curriculum to address the civic challenges of each era. One of the latest such efforts is the Stanford Civics Initiative (SCI), a joint endeavor between the School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) and the Hoover Institution, and that launched in the fall of 2020 and is led by Stanford political scientist Josiah Ober.

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Ober helped develop COLLEGE 102: Citizenship in the 21st Century, the winter quarter course in Stanford’s first-year requirement, the Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) program. As part of that experience, he saw an opportunity to expand civics education through small, seminar-style classes that inspire students to reflect on personal values and what living in a pluralistic, self-governing society means to them.

“The goal of civic education in a democracy is learning how to live in a world in which there are people who are very different from yourself,” said Ober, the Markos & Eleni Kounalakis Chair in Honor of Constantine Mitsotakis in H&S. “A core part of teaching citizenship is showing students how to gain an understanding of where other people are coming from and figuring out a way to engage together to make policy and create civic bargains – the compromise and negotiation integral to democracy.”

Over the past five years, SCI has grown into a vibrant program.

Through H&S, SCI provides Stanford students with advanced courses on democratic citizenship, such as POLISCI 234: Democratic Theory taught by Brian Coyne, an instructor who has been involved in SCI since its inception.

“A civics education helps students see for themselves why democracy is important,” said Coyne, an advanced lecturer in political science and the Nehal and Jenny Fan Raj Lecturer in Undergraduate Teaching. “We take that idea and spend some time talking together about what it means and give them the tools to be critical in a constructive way. I believe that’s also a civic skill.”

SCI is also about to launch a senior honors program.

SCI currently supports three postdoctoral fellows who combine teaching seminars on civic history and thought, constitutionalism, and political economy with their own research on topics relevant to the education of citizens. For example, postdoctoral fellow Simon Luo is examining the rise of China and how political actors shape its future. Next academic year, the number of SCI postdocs will grow to five. 

Meanwhile, SCI collaborates with other campus efforts such as ePluribus Stanford and the Democracy Hub, which seek to cultivate a campus culture in which open and constructive dialogue thrives and learning across differences flourishes.

“Disagreement about politics – about the basic terms on which we should live together – is a feature and not a bug of a democratic society,” said Satz, the Vernon R. and Lysbeth Warren Anderson Dean of H&S, faculty director of the Democracy Hub, and university liaison for ePluribus Stanford. “That said, there are skills and values that need to be in place to make such disagreement productive. SCI will continue to build on what students have learned in COLLEGE, further preparing them for lives of engaged citizenship.”

Examining civics education nationally

At the Hoover Institute, SCI is part of the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions, where it is focused on civics programming at the national level.

In spring 2024, Ober launched the Alliance for Civics in the Academy, a nonpartisan network of instructors in higher education involved in teaching and designing programs related to civic education. 

Through his Hoover affiliation, Ober has helped Hoover fellows create undergraduate courses at Stanford – a first for the university, where only faculty with university appointments have traditionally taught. In winter quarter, Hoover historian and diplomat Philip Zelikow is teaching POLISCI 217: The World and America, and since 2021, the political philosopher and legal scholar Peter Berkowitz has annually taught POLISCI 237: Varieties of Conservatism in America.

Cultivating a civic disposition

Ober views a civics education as a way to help students lead meaningful, purposeful lives.

It also strengthens their ethical dispositions, he said.

“The university is not just for skill-building but also character-building,” Ober added. Students learn how to stand up for their beliefs, even against popular opinion, while also engaging thoughtfully with perspectives that make them uncomfortable. Ober sees courage and moderation as essential civic qualities.

“Over time, students grow into more courageous, self-regulated individuals – better citizens capable of working with others to make the world a better place.” 

Ober hopes to inspire what he calls “civic courage.”

“A republic is something we, as citizens, own together,” Ober said. “Citizens have to be willing to take some risks to themselves to stand up for the common good of which they are sharers.”