The data is in and it’s startling, revealing that civic literacy in the United States is at a historic low. According to a 2024 survey of more than 3,000 U.S. undergraduates, only 31% of students could correctly identify James Madison as the “Father of the Constitution.” In an even more concerning revelation, nearly a quarter of respondents couldn’t name any of the other “Constitutional Fathers.” Before this grim statistic gets dismissed as a general public issue attributable to rising social media usage and the decline of reading, I believe it is essential to take a look around campus for proactive solutions to this disturbing trend. In an era when misinformation and apathy have spread faster than objective knowledge, we cannot afford this kind of civic illiteracy to trickle into the subsequent generations. That’s why I believe Villanova should require all students to take a course in civic literacy.
Some students come to Villanova with a desire to exclusively study political science (which in and of itself does not guarantee civic literacy). Some students come to Villanova with an elementary background in civics. However, many students come to Villanova with no prior knowledge of our governmental systems and how they connect, communicate and work alongside one another. Depending on one’s high school, they may have had a semester of U.S. government, or nothing at all. That creates a civic education gap that college can (and arguably) should close.
Villanova prides itself on its Catholic and Augustinian heritage, which is rooted in the promises of truth, justice and community. How can we claim to promote these values if we don’t understand the systems that define the publicly accepted “truth,” uphold “justice” and form our broader political “community?” Civic literacy isn’t just about passing a history test or memorizing names. It’s about equipping students to live out the values Villanova holds dear. To define “civic literacy” is to create and define a course that provides the knowledge and skills needed to responsibly participate in our political discourse. That includes understanding how the branches of government work, what the Constitution protects, how elections function and how policy decisions play out in our communities.
One positive step Villanova can take toward enhancing civic literacy around campus can be accomplished through including a pocket Constitution in the materials given to students during their mandatory freshman advising course. I received a “pocket Constitution” during my first American government course at university, and I found it to be an incredibly convenient resource that aided me in achieving a greater understanding of the nation’s ideals, limits and aspirations.
“When I took the Constitutional Faith course at Villanova, I was given a ‘pocket Constitution’ to utilize during our class discussions,” junior political science major Gabriella Wallace said. “Being able to easily consult that resource and find everything I needed was very useful throughout the process of learning all about American government and politics. Everyone should receive similar opportunities and resources, no matter their major.”
“Seeing the viral videos of street interviews with students who are unable to name the basics of American government opened my eyes to my own gaps in political knowledge,” Ava Hunn, a statistics major, said, agreeing with the importance of civics-based learning. “I believe a civics course would be a great addition to the required courses list and I hope to see this change on campus in the coming semesters.”
Critics of the civic literacy requirement may argue that a politicized course can inadvertently push partisan bias into the classroom. That’s a valid concern, but it misses the point regarding what civic literacy actually entails. A well-designed civic literacy course wouldn’t promote any ideology but will seek to generally equip students to think critically, educate themselves on the ballots before them and have an understanding of our nation’s ideological foundation.
We’re taught here to ignite change. But how can we ignite what we don’t understand? Civic literacy is more than a class. It is an ongoing commitment to responsible citizenship. It’s the backbone of every protest, every vote, every community meeting and every piece of legislation. The verdict is clear: Villanova cannot fully carry out its mission statement, riddled with promises of a better tomorrow without an education that reacts to the civics of today.
