Minor in Civic Life

An academic program enabling students in any field of study to meet the critical challenges of democracy.

What does it take for people to engage productively as informed, skilled, and effective members of democratic communities and the world?

Whether we are scientists, doctors, engineers, advocates, public servants, or anything else, we are all members of pluralistic communities. In all of these communities, people of all kinds need capacities to engage productively with one another, develop the skills to negotiate difference, and cooperate to achieve common goals.

The area of civic studies examines why such skills are foundational to making liberal democracy work in pluralistic societies, how such capacities can be nurtured, and the historical and contemporary struggles to realize these principles. It is an applied and interdisciplinary field, incorporating critical reflection, ethical thinking, empirical understanding, historical perspectives, and action for social change within and between societies.

The minor in civic life introduces students to civic studies through its core seminars, electives, and experiential learning opportunities. Students participating in the minor will join a vibrant community of student peers, faculty, and fellows at the SNF Agora Institute. Regardless of their primary area of undergraduate study, the minor in civic life empowers students to be engaged global citizens. As a minor, it is specifically intended to engage and equip students interested in pursuing any kind of career (including STEM careers) with the skills of critical inquiry and applied research they need.

Minor Requirements (17 Credits)

  • AS.196.201 Introduction to Civic Life: 3 credits
  • AS.196.320 Civic Life Seminar: 2 credits
  • AS.196.420 Civic Life Capstone: 3 credits
  • Three approved elective courses: 9 credits

Courses taken at another institution that are not directly equivalent to a JHU course may not apply towards the minor without permission from the director of undergraduate studies. All courses must be taken for letter grades and receive a grade of C-minus or higher.

More Information

For more information about the minor in civic life, please email Bryce Corrigan, director of undergraduate studies, at [email protected].

Featured Faculty

Minor in Civic Life Spring 2026 Approved Electives

Course Title & Description Instructor(s) Schedule Credits
AS.196.210
CATASTROPHE
Study global risks such as authoritarianism, war, and climate change, and explore how democracies respond.
 Yascha Mounk — 3
AS.196.363
POPULISM AND POLITICS
Analyze the causes and consequences of populism around the world.
 Yascha Mounk Tuesday 3
AS.196.325
AI AND DEMOCRACY
Investigate how artificial intelligence shapes democratic institutions and public decision-making.
 Henry Farrell Thursday 3
AS.100.433
FREE SPEECH AND CENSORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES
Explore the history and law of free expression and debate in American democracy.
 Peter Jelavich Wednesday 3
AS.110.303
THE MATHEMATICS OF POLITICS, DEMOCRACY, AND SOCIAL CHOICE
Apply mathematical models to questions of voting, representation, and fairness.
 Christopher Ratigan Online 4
AS.280.314
TRUTH, EVIDENCE, AND INFLUENCE: CASE STUDIES IN PUBLIC HEALTH
Study how evidence, communication, and trust shape public health decisions.
 Maria Bulzacchelli
Moira Cahan		 Tue/Thu 3
AS.230.220
POLARIZED COLLEGE STUDENTS: INTERVIEWING ACROSS THE DIVIDE
—
 Amy Binder Monday 3
AS.190.358
LIBERAL EDUCATION: A CONTESTED QUESTION
—
 Robbie Shilliam
Benjamin Storey		 Tuesday 3

Important: Check SIS for the most current listings for Spring 2026. Search for courses with the Program of Study tag: AGRI-ELECT
All courses must be taken for a letter grade with a C-minus or higher to count toward the Minor in Civic Life.

Approved Electives for the Minor in Civic Life
Program of Study: AGRI-ELECT

Course Number Course Title
SNF Agora Institute Courses
AS.196.210 Catastrophe
AS.196.301 Social Entrepreneurship and Democratic Erosion
AS.196.302 Science and Democracy
AS.196.304 Democratic Challenges
AS.196.305 Democratic Erosion
AS.196.306 Democracy by the Numbers
AS.196.308 Voting Power: How to Win Policy Reform in The U.S. Election Ecosystem
AS.196.309 Digital Resilience: How to Protect Vulnerable Groups from Mis- and Disinformation
AS.196.310 Fighting the Information War: Democracy, Autocracy, and the Battle of Narratives in the 20th and 21st Centuries
AS.196.311 Democracy
AS.196.312 Citizenship in the Digital Age
AS.196.313 That Which Cannot be Said: A Course Through Our Divisions
AS.196.314 Theatre, Civics, and Political Discourse: Exploring Governance through Performance
AS.196.325 AI and Democracy
AS.196.326 How to Beat Autocrats: lessons from the front lines in the battles to defend democracies
AS.196.363 Populism and Politics
AS.196.364 This is Not Propaganda
AS.196.435 Democratic Strategies in an Age of Information Conflict
Writing Seminars
AS.004.101 Reintroduction to Writing: The Cost of Free Speech
AS.004.241 Special Topics in Writing: Politics and Persuasion
AS.004.241 Special Topics in Writing: Future of Holocaust Memory
History
AS.100.119 Introduction to U.S. Immigration History and Law
AS.100.190 Modern African American History, 1896 – present
AS.100.244 U.S. Conservatism
AS.100.271 Documenting & Digitizing Black Louisiana: Sources, Tools and Contexts
AS.100.307 Research Seminar: The American Elections
AS.100.345 Right-wing populism since the 1980s
AS.100.406 Public History and Engaged Research
AS.100.411 AI and Data Methods in History
AS.100.433 Free Speech and Censorship in the United States
AS.100.434 The Modern American Presidential Election in Historical Perspective
AS.100.450 History Research Lab: Discovering Hard Histories at Hopkins
AS.100.453 Global Legal History
Mathematics
AS.001.184 FYS: The Mathematics of Politics, Democracy, and Social Choice
AS.110.303 The Mathematics of Politics, Democracy, and Social Choice
EN.553.335 Mathematics for a Better World
Philosophy
AS.150.220 Introduction to Moral Philosophy
AS.150.257 Philosophy and Democracy
AS.150.313 Technology, Democracy, and Social Justice
Political Science
AS.190.101 Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.102 Introduction to Comparative Politics
AS.190.108 Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.254 Democratic Political Theory
AS.190.286 Liberalism, Republicanism, and Democracy in American Political Theory
AS.190.319 Policy and Politics Design
AS.190.322 Future of American Democracy
AS.190.333 American Constitutional Law
AS.190.353 China and the World
AS.190.358 Liberal Education: A Contested Question
AS.190.366 Free Speech and the Law in Comparative Perspective
AS.190.374 Political Violence
AS.190.375 Thinking Organizationally about Politics
AS.190.378 The U.S. Supreme Court and Social Movements
AS.190.393 Nonviolent Resistance in World Politics
AS.190.420 From Polycrisis to Polytunity
AS.190.437 Race and Ethnic Politics in the United States
AS.190.444 Comparative Politics
AS.190.473 Political Polarization
AS.190.480 Democracy and Institutional Anxiety across the Political Spectrum
AS.191.233 Collective Action and Organization Strategy in the U.S.
AS.191.333 Dictatorship, Dissidence, and Democracy: Central Europe in the 20th Century
AS.192.290 Informational World Orders
Economics
AS.197.101 Social Theories of the Economy I
AS.197.102 Social Theories of the Economy II
AS.197.208 Civilization on Trial: The Grand Discourse on Modernity
AS.197.210 Global Capitalism
AS.197.211 City, Country, Inequality: The Political Economy of Place in the U.S.
AS.197.212 Reading Seminar: Who Cares? The Political Economy and Social Policy of US Gender Inequality
AS.197.250 Competition, Conflict, and Coordination: Microeconomics and Political Economy
AS.197.308 Follow the Money: Crime Media, Surveillance, and Policing in the U.S.
AS.197.309 Bureaucracy, From the Deep State to the DMV
AS.197.327 People, Power, and Pay: The Economics of the Workplace
AS.197.330 Social Networks (Research Lab)
Psychology
AS.200.219 Introduction to Political Psychology
AS.200.238 Primate Minds
AS.200.337 Origins of the Social Mind
Sociology
AS.220.213 Community-Based Learning: Incarceration, Reentry, and Personal Storytelling
AS.230.101 Introduction to Sociology
AS.230.175 Chinese Revolutions
AS.230.220 Polarized College Students: Interviewing Across the Divide
AS.230.250 Knowledge, Evidence, and Democracy
AS.230.331 Qualitative Interview Methods
AS.230.365 Public Opinion and American Politics
AS.230.387 Global Migration and Refugees: Applied Research and Practice Seminar
AS.230.419 Global Social Democracy
Public Health
AS.280.314 Truth, Evidence, and Influence: Case Studies in Public Health
AS.280.379 Designing the Future: Health and Aging
AS.280.390 Power, Positionality, and Social Change: Theories and Methods of Community Partnerships
AS.280.399 Community Based Learning – Practicum Community Health Care
AS.280.474 A Consultation: Assessing the Value of Public Health Intervention
Other Departments
AS.010.369 The American Art Museum: Origins, Mission, and Civic Purpose
AS.070.402 Environmental Justice Workshop
AS.360.461 Hopkins Semester DC Applied Practitioner Seminar [check with DUS for approved section]
AS.362.318 Liberation in the African Diaspora
Engineering
EN.660.329 Social Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Community Based Learning
EN.660.392 Social Impact Design
EN.661.250 Oral Presentations

Note: Check SIS for the most current listings for Spring 2026. All courses must be taken for a letter grade with a C-minus or higher.