Proponents of liberal education argue that it provides essential preparation for students to become skilled in the arts of democracy. Evaluating the case that liberal education prepares graduates for democratic engagement requires evidence-based findings that reveal how liberal education produces these salutary effects. In this session, researchers will share new findings from the College and Beyond II research study at the University of Michigan that illuminate liberal education’s links to long-term political engagement. Michael Barr, Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Anne Curzan, Dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, will discuss the implications of these findings and the ways that undergraduate education prepares students for participatory democracy.

Zoom – Registration Required:
https://myumi.ch/EkrwM

Speakers:

Michael Barr, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy; Frank Murphy Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Roy F. and Jean Humphrey Proffitt Professor of Law; University of Michigan

Jennifer Brady, Senior Research Specialist, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), University of Michigan

Paul Courant (moderator), Edward M. Gramlich Distinguished University Professor Emeritus and Provost Emeritus, University of Michigan

Anne Curzan, Dean, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English Language and Literature, Linguistics, and Education; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; University of Michigan

Allyson Flaster, Assistant Research Scientist, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), University of Michigan

In 2021-22 the College and Beyond II Public Colloquium Series will explore the links between liberal education and its outcomes, with a particular focus on democratic engagement. This fall, researchers and leaders of projects focused on better understanding and increasing civic and political engagement will discuss ongoing efforts and new initiatives. In winter 2022, seminars will feature research on the enduring impact of liberal education conducted with the College and Beyond II dataset, which contains rich data about students’ experiences in and beyond college and will open to researchers in June 2022.

Visit the College and Beyond II: Outcomes of a Liberal Arts Education Colloquium Series website for more information on this and all upcoming events: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/liberalarts