Mission
The Institute is a school within a school at UToledo that exists to renew American civic life by cultivating the knowledge, skills, and virtues essential for leadership in a free society. We form students, teachers, and ordinary citizens in the principles of American constitutionalism and civic discourse. The Institute is here to be a nonpartisan solution to the problem of incivility and civic illiteracy on campus. Our students read only the best that has been written. Our teachers settle for nothing less than the pursuit of excellence.
Goals
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- Instilling broad civic formation
- Offering focused pre-law degree opportunities at the honors level
- Enhancing the humanities across UToledo
- Supporting K-12 civic education statewide
- Engaging American citizens in civic discourse
Academic Programs
Constitutional Studies Minor (24 credits)
Science, Technology, and Society Minor (15 credits)
Certificate in Civic Thought and Leadership (12 credits)
Undergraduate Courses Offered
CLT 2000 – The American Constitutional Tradition
CLT 2750 – Complex Leadership Challenges
CLT 3000 – The Art of Statesmanship
CLT 3010 – The Art of Rhetoric
CLT 3020 – Liberalism and Conservatism in America
CLT 3030 – Model U.S. Senate
CLT 3040 – Constitutional Democracy and Democratic Citizenship
CLT 3500 – Civic Discourse
CLT 3510 – Competing Theories of Justice
CLT 3750 – The Empire of Modern Science
CLT 3990 – Special Topics in Civic Thought
Law Courses Sponsored
LAWT 9000 – Free Expression in Times of Crisis
LAWP 6000 – Wrongful Convictions
LAWP 6000 – The Death Penalty
Scholarships & Student Involvement
Civitas Scholars
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- $2,500 tuition scholarship per semester
- 5 GPA required
- Enrollment in two Institute courses per semester required
- The student must be pursuing an academic minor with the Institute
- Students must apply and be interviewed
- Scholars receive invitations to colloquia and private formal dinners with invited speakers
- Scholars receive special consideration for the Institute’s annual Oxford Constitutional Studies Program (study abroad)
Institute Scholars
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- $1,200 tuition scholarship per semester
- Enrollment in one Institute course per semester required
- Students must apply and be interviewed
- Scholars receive invitations to colloquia and some private events with invited speakers
- Scholars receive special consideration for the Institute’s trip to the Ohio Statehouse
Undergraduate Fellows
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- Fellows must regularly participate in the Institute’s Student Group
- Fellows receive invitations to private events, including colloquia, reading groups, and social activities
Extracurricular Offerings
Oxford Constitutional Studies Program
Study abroad with Pembroke College, Oxford University
Ohio 1912 Constitution Project
Student researchers work with Oxford documentary editors to develop the Ohio 1912
Constitutional Convention online resource collection
Monthly Student Colloquia
Speech Writing Workshop
Students work with a former or current political speechwriter
K-12 Civic Education
Founding Civics Summer Institute
The Institute partners with the Jack Miller Center to offer a weeklong program in
American civics for 14-18 middle and high school teachers.
Sphere Civics Professional Development
The Institute partners with Sphere to offer a one-day teachers’ professional development
program on civility, trust, and polarization in the classroom.
Teachers’ Colloquia
Faculty
Jonathan Culp, Ph.D.
Director & Associate Professor, Political Science
Michael Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Director & Assistant Professor, Political Science
Kevin Vallier, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Research & Professor, Philosophy
Deborah O’Malley, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Jonathan Ashbach, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Oliver Traldi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Staff
Gregory Schlueter, M.A.
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Christopher Albert
Assistant Director of Student Outreach
Stephanie Schlueter
Part-Time Event Coordinator
Also multiple student workers and intermittent call in staff