Not Just New College: University Of Florida Gets Its Own Classical Education Makeover

The normal give and take of democratic deliberation between citizens, while not always achieved in practice, has been the benchmark in American political culture over the course of our nation’s history. John Stinneford, a University of Florida law professor, says that these free-thinking habits are becoming increasingly endangered.

“I think we have all noticed in recent years that society has become more polarized and civil discourse has declined,” He notes. “Instead of engaging with opposing viewpoints, we increasingly try to denigrate or destroy anyone who holds them. If this trend continues, many people worry that our over two-century experiment in democracy will fail.”

A Harvard law graduate who joined UF’s Levin College of Law in 2009, Stinneford is looking to help revive civil discourse as the inaugural director of The Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education.

The Hamilton Center seeks to improve and deepen civics education on the university level. This effort is recognized by many from both sides. Stinneford explains that judges identified lack of civics education among the most pressing challenges facing the country last year when he moderated an event for bipartisan federal and state judges. They noted that lawyers and citizens who appear before them frequently display a lack of civics education. “a serious lack of knowledge about how the government is structured and how democracy is supposed to work.”

“We need efforts at every education level to teach civics,” Stinneford argues, “and instill basic values that are required of citizens living in a democracy, such as engaging in civil discourse and trying to reach resolutions without trying to destroy each other.” He says that through the Center’s curriculum and programming, students will have the opportunity to gain the “knowledge, habits of thought, analytic abilities, and character that are essential for free citizens in a free society.”

Stinneford describes the Center’s threefold mission as follows: educating students in the Western intellectual tradition and the debates surrounding the American Founding; offering public programming, including public lectures, debates, and symposia that model civil discourse; and assisting the Florida Department of Education in training K-12 teachers so that they can deliver high-quality civics education to their students.

According to Stinneford the University of Florida offers classes through the Center. “introduce students to the core texts and great debates of Western Civilization, enabling students to think through the great questions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the best way to structure society? What role can I play in promoting the common good?”

The Hamilton Center is unique in its mission. However, Stinneford draws inspiration from programs at other universities such as Columbia University and the University of Chicago core curriculums. The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL) at Arizona State University, a program with similar aspirations of renewing the bonds of civic friendship among citizens.

Although some faculty at UF are skeptical about The Hamilton Center’s existence, Stinneford says that it is his goal.