The University of Tennessee’s new civics degree should treat citizenship as a practice

By: Alejandro Ramos

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: August 20, 2026

Words: 708

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

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This fall, students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will be able to major in Civic and Constitutional Thought. Approved in July by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the UT Board of Trustees, the degree is the first academic degree program offered through UT’s Institute of American Civics.

Tennessee deserves credit for treating civic education as worthy of sustained undergraduate study. Public life increasingly demands citizens …

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