Official account of @UTAustin's School of Civic Leadership. Education for Freedom.

Austin, Texas
What is Civic Leadership? What is our school, and what do we do? Our new video gives a closer look at the School of Civic Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin and what we’re building. Watch the full video now on YouTube. youtu.pulse.ly/zsioabnvew
4
14
3,466
Today is Election Day! Voting is an opportunity to put civic responsibility into action and participate in shaping our country’s future. Make your voice heard. Exercise your right to vote.
45
There’s still time to RSVP for tomorrow’s event! Join us for Israel on Trial with Judge Roy Altman, moderated by SCL Professor Yonatan Green. Reserve your spot: luma.com/qd68ykur
Join us for two upcoming conversations exploring history, law, and the importance of bearing witness: November 2 | Mosul Eye with Omar Mohammed Historian Omar Mohammed will share his experiences anonymously documenting life in ISIS-occupied Mosul, Iraq through his blog, Mosul Eye. Hear his reflections on the risks of bearing witness and the importance of preserving truth and justice in the face of destruction. November 4 | Israel on Trial with Judge Roy Altman Judge Roy Altman will discuss his recent book, Israel on Trial which examines accusations against Israel through legal standards and evidence. SCL Professor Yonatan Green will moderate the conversation and audience Q&A. Learn more and RSVP: utexas.pulse.ly/udajhtucor
1
108
Weekend read: What does it mean to be truly free? In Plough, School of Civic Leadership professor Lauren Spohn reflects on the friendships between Catholic nuns and women on death row in Texas, exploring how faith, grace, and love challenge conventional understandings of freedom. Read the essay: plough.pulse.ly/wv8wohvlff
1
122
Weekend read: What can history teach us about preserving a republic? In Law & Liberty, School of Civic Leadership assistant professor Matthew K. Reising reviews Thomas F. Madden’s The Fall of Republics, exploring the importance of constitutional principles, civic education, and lessons from republics past. Read the review: lawliberty.pulse.ly/pwvzncvz…
1
83
In case you needed a last minute costume today
2
92
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
Excited to read my colleague Alex Duff's new book on Russian and Iranian political receptions of Heidegger. At @CornellPress
1
3
27
838
Take a sneak peek at the cover of the November issue of Forum! 👀 Inside, meet our new faculty and students, catch up on a busy summer at SCL, and read the charge delivered to the Class of 2030 as they began their journey on the Forty Acres. Stay tuned for the full issue!
1
3
146
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, how does the Declaration of Independence continue to shape our understanding of the nation? And what might American history look like without the Declaration as a physical document? Last week, SCL welcomed Dr. @MichaelAuslin of the @HooverInst for “How the Declaration of Independence Made America: A Conversation with Michael Auslin.” Auslin discussed his book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, with SCL Dean Justin Dyer. Their conversation explored the Declaration’s journey from Thomas Jefferson’s desk in Philadelphia to the National Archives, its significance as a national symbol, and the enduring influence of its principles over the past 250 years.
5
184
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
A post-WW2 history of global trade taught in today’s Democracy and Capitalism class at @UTAustin @UTCivics
6
3
39
1,707
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
1
3
46
1,658
Earlier this month, our Monroe Fellows had the opportunity to have lunch with Elliott Abrams, a leading figure in American foreign policy who has served in senior positions under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Following lunch, Abrams joined constitutional scholar and SCL Distinguished Visiting Professor John Yoo for a conversation on “Iran, Venezuela, and American Power in the World.” Drawing on Abrams’s experience as United States special representative for both Iran and Venezuela, the discussion explored the challenges these regimes pose to American interests and ideals, as well as the purposes, possibilities, and limits of American power in the world. The Monroe Fellows Program gathers students, scholars, and statesmen to consider the principles and practices of American leadership in foreign affairs. They meet with foreign policy experts and national security officials, study war and diplomacy with SCL and other UT professors, and participate in activities that cultivate the intellectual seriousness and political judgment necessary for civic leadership in a dangerous world. Take a look at some photos from the Monroe Fellows’ lunch and the conversation that followed.
7
278
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
Get your copy of the freshly printed International handbook on Raymond Aron! At @routledgebooks
1
5
34
2,539
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
Terrific @UTAustin @UTCivics talk between @HooverInst @MichaelAuslin and @UTCivics Dean Justin Dyer on the American Declaration of Independence at 250
1
1
20
927
UT School of Civic Leadership retweeted
No spoilers, but Longhorn Nation might have a little advantage on today's NYT Mini. 🤘🧡
4
11
76
10,207
Weekend Read: What makes a civic center successful? Michael Poliakoff, president of the @goACTA , explores best practices from civic centers in a recent Law & Liberty article. He speaks with leaders about their approaches to success. Poliakoff highlights SCL Director Justin Dyer’s perspective: “SCL Director Justin Dyer counsels avoiding negativity and instead articulating what the center seeks to accomplish. The phrase he uses goes beyond ‘non-partisan’ to ‘pre-partisan,’ in the search for truth, welcoming the criticism that clarifies ideas and builds deep understanding.” Read Poliakoff’s article: lawliberty.pulse.ly/yglnaa1t…
2
120
Join us for two upcoming conversations exploring history, law, and the importance of bearing witness: November 2 | Mosul Eye with Omar Mohammed Historian Omar Mohammed will share his experiences anonymously documenting life in ISIS-occupied Mosul, Iraq through his blog, Mosul Eye. Hear his reflections on the risks of bearing witness and the importance of preserving truth and justice in the face of destruction. November 4 | Israel on Trial with Judge Roy Altman Judge Roy Altman will discuss his recent book, Israel on Trial which examines accusations against Israel through legal standards and evidence. SCL Professor Yonatan Green will moderate the conversation and audience Q&A. Learn more and RSVP: utexas.pulse.ly/udajhtucor
2
277
ICYMI: Last month, the School of Civic Leadership partnered with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) for an evening exploring America’s constitutional heritage, religious liberty, and civic education. In his keynote, Notre Dame’s Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz drew on George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, to examine religious liberty as a natural right and its relationship to the responsibilities of citizenship. The panel discussion that followed explored the founders’ differing views, the relationship between faith and public life, and the importance of protecting the freedoms of people whose beliefs differ from our own. The evening also highlighted A Broadside for the Nation, ACTA’s report calling on colleges and universities to require coursework in American history or government to prepare students to be informed citizens. Missed the conversation? Watch the full recording here: youtube.pulse.ly/jxs3ha8ujg
1
120
Big questions, thoughtful conversations, and a glimpse of life on the Forty Acres. 🤘 At our recent Freedom & Virtue Seminar, high school students joined SCL faculty to discuss George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” and John Adams’s “Thoughts on Government.” Through these readings, students explored questions about language, political thought, and what makes for good government. The conversations continued over lunch with faculty before students headed to the LBJ Presidential Library to explore American history beyond the classroom. Prospective students wrapped up their visit with an information session about SCL’s academic programs, where they could ask our advisors questions and hear from student ambassadors about their experiences as current SCL students. With UT Austin’s December 1 application deadline approaching, the session offered a chance to picture how the day’s conversations and discoveries could become part of their own college education.
1
120
On October 8, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas and the School of Civic Leadership hosted a conversation celebrating our new Great Books major. Dr. Hugh Liebert of West Point and Dr. Nathaniel Gilmore of UT Austin joined SCL’s Dr. Max Lykins, who moderated a discussion about why Rome has captured the imagination of readers and thinkers for centuries. The panel explored how Rome grappled with political ambition and the pursuit of honor, and what republics can learn about preserving themselves amid those pressures. They also considered how writing history allowed Roman authors to explore questions of political philosophy. The following day, Liebert joined students at Littlefield Home for coffee and a conversation about why national security leaders should study political theory. These were two of the many opportunities students have had this semester to hear from scholars and explore connections between the ideas they study and the world around them.
1
2
7
435