Events
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership invites ASU students, staff and faculty, and the community to join us for conversations concerning civic life and leadership. The school is dedicated to offer these events for its students and the community at no cost as a place to hold civil discourse around the pressing issues of our times.
Spring Conference 2026
American Independence and the World: The Declaration of Independence at 250
February 27 - 28, 2026
Explore how the fight for self-government in the United States and its global impact shaped the American Founding. Why did patriot leaders move from demanding self-rule to risking their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” for full independence? And how did the “candid world” respond? These stories are critical to civic education and the formation of a lasting American political order.
Keynote Speakers:
Jack Rakove - Stanford University
David Armitage - Harvard University
Eliga Gould - University of Oxford
Upcoming events
The Civic Discourse Project
The Civic Discourse Project is a multi-year project addressing the pressing issues of our times. Each year, the project addresses a particular important theme by inviting the top minds — civic leaders, academics, public intellectuals — engaged in thinking through the big ideas and challenges facing American society, to discuss and explore them with our community.
"I honestly have not been to better ASU events than the events hosted by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Whether it was the Robby George and Cornel West talk or the Jonathan Haidt, who I would later do my research thesis on, those have been amazing opportunities to learn and hear ideas of prominent scholars and people in the field."
- Justin H., CEL Major