Inspiring a new class of leaders.
Welcome to a new kind of program. One that looks beyond time and borders to explore the fundamental questions of life, freedom, and governance. One that looks inward to the guiding principles of America’s founders and the leaders who have inspired us. One that combines classic works and altruistic statesmanship to develop a new kind of leader: trained in critical thought, humble about human imperfection, and ready for anything.
Congratulations, graduates!
Dean’s Medalist plans to use political degrees for career in comedy
Cormac will be graduating with his bachelor’s degrees in civic and economic thought and leadership and political science and is The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Medalist for the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. The school caught up with him to ask about his time at Arizona State University.
Graduating transfer student finds her home at new program in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The summer before her third year of college, Hannah Rose felt out of place. Rose decided to apply to Arizona State University, majoring in a new program: civic and economic thought and leadership. She would describe that application as the "best impulse decision of my life." She will be graduating with her bachelor’s degree in civic and economic thought and leadership.
Graduate develops a passion for politics and civil discourse
“As a kid, I was always involved in politics,” said Heywood. “It wasn’t until probably my freshman year, second semester that I realized, ‘Wow, I chose right. This is exactly where I need to be.’ That experience came with the 2016 presidential inauguration.
Our centers
Center for the Study of Economic Liberty
The Center for the Study of Economic Liberty serves students and the public through research, education, and community outreach regarding the nation’s most pressing economic policy issues. Committed to communicating the role that economic liberty and free enterprise play in increasing opportunity and improving well-being, the Center seeks to advance understanding through independent thinking, scholarly debate, factual argument, and honest communication of research and policy findings.
Center for Political Thought and Leadership
The Center for Political Thought and Leadership develops leaders well-versed in the principles of liberal democracy. Its mission is to impart a deeper understanding of the meaning of political liberty and economic well-being to the academic and at-large community through undergraduate education, scholarly research, and public events. The Center adeptly provides a setting for national and international scholarship in political thought. It also acts as a forum for international, national, and state leaders involved in public affairs, as well as the legal and business community, to exchange and develop ideas about leadership in their respective fields within an academic setting.
Explore our courses.
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership combines philosophy, history, economics and political science to teach students how to examine great ideas and solve contemporary problems. Courses like "Great Ideas in Politics and Ethics," "Justice and Virtue," and "Great Debates in American Politics and Economics" prepare students for leadership in a diverse and changing world.
Upcoming programming
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership is dedicated to providing a forum for robust, civil discourse for ASU students and the broader community. As such, we offer a wide variety of public programming that includes large speaker lectures and small gatherings, as well as professional development opportunities for students.
To stay up to date on our upcoming events, please sign up for our newsletter.
The Pandemic Dialogues was a new series conceived to address and provide perspective on the current civic crisis introduced under the conditions of the pandemic by gathering together academic voices with the school’s faculty to lead webinar discussions.
With the second series, The Pandemic Dialogues: Reckoning and Recovery, the school turns to consider the lessons from past recoveries, like FDR’s implementation of the New Deal, and to discuss how the pandemic might affect the present and the future, U.S. relations with China, or our trust in science and technology to improve the world.
The Pandemic Dialogues take place every other Monday around 4 p.m.
“One of the biggest priorities in my education is to enhance my educational experiences and enhance what I do in the classroom by outside opportunities. When I met with a few faculty members from the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, I fell in love with the school and it just really solidified my choice to go to ASU.”
- Cameron D., CEL Major
Our podcasts
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership has developed two podcasts, Keeping it Civil and Pandemic Dialogues. Both are designed to give our community additional opportunities to hear more from our speakers, and an additional medium to continue the conversation.
| Listen to Keeping it Civil | Listen to Pandemic Dialogues. |
Video programming
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership also offers more than 70 videos of previous guest lectures and speaker events on its video catalog. Search by academic year, speaker series or by a specific speaker.
And stay up to date with all of our videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Connect with us.
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership is dedicated to growing a community interested in civil discourse and engagement. Sign up for our email newsletter to keep up to date on the latest news, current events and new opportunities at the school.