Constitutional Rights Program all set for Fall Semester

Utah State University president and legal scholar Kermit L. Hall has teamed with two political science professors and newcomer Drew Horvath to create awareness of constitutional rights as part of a “We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution” program.

This is the second year the program is being conducted at Utah State.

Since the inception of the We the People program in 1987, more than 26 million students and 100,000 educators have been introduced to the 1791 Bill of Rights, the piece of paper that guarantees and outlines freedom in the United States.

But few have been taught by one of the country’s most eminent legal scholars and a university president.

Hall, Horvath and Utah State professors Anthony Peacock and Randy Simmons will work with public and private school teachers from across the nation. Educators who participate will return to their classrooms with more knowledge about the role of individual citizens in a democracy.

The week-long seminar explores constitutional rights from the United States, Canada and England, to South Africa. Participants will be asked to evaluate the U.S. Bill of Rights, and get the opportunity to update the work of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, designing a “new” American Bill of Rights-an activity they’ll ask their students to do.

“The events of the past several years have made this discussion particularly relevant,” said Hall. “We give little thought to constitutional rights as we go about our day-to-day dealings, but these rights shape every aspect of our work, relationships and personal activities.”

We the People is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, which promotes civic competence and responsibility among young people. Students involved in the program develop greater commitment to democratic principles and values, according to a study conducted by Richard Brody a professor at Stanford University. Independent studies by Educational Testing Services have revealed that We the People students significantly outperformed comparison students on every topic of the tests taken.

The seminar begins Sunday, June 27, and runs through Friday, July 2.

For more information contact Tim Vitale, (435) 797-1356, tim.vitale@cc.usu.edu.

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