Fall 2025 Course List
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership offers four distinct academic tracks in its undergraduate curriculum.
- Moral and Political Thought
- American Political Thought
- Economic Thought and Political Economy
- Leadership and Statesmanship for the 21st Century
To graduate with a BA or a BS degree in civic and economic thought and leadership, students are required to take at least one course from each academic track in addition to the required core courses. A variety of upper-division courses are offered in each track every semester to allow you to tailor your academic experience in SCETL to your own goals and interests.
"SCETL is kind of a mix of a few things. You get economics, you get history, you get philosophy all blended into one, which is a really cool and unique experience to be able to hear from all of these different schools of thought and you get to challenge yourself." - Justin H.
Required Core Courses
Introduces fundamental debates and ideas of politics in both the West and beyond. Surveys ancient, medieval, and modern thinkers — such as Plato and Aristotle, Aquinas and Augustine, Machiavelli, Locke, and Rousseau — tracing their influences on contemporary debates with a focus on the great questions of human nature, social and political life, and the relationship between religion and politics. Enrollment requirements: Credit is allowed for only CEL 100 or CEL 194 (Great Ideas of Politics and Ethics)
Courses:
M/W 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Eduardo Schmidt Passos | Tempe Campus | Session C: #68397
M/W 9:00am - 10:15am | Eduardo Schmidt Passos | Tempe Campus | Session C: #70406
M/W/F 9:05am-9:55am | Matt Slaboch |Tempe Campus | Session C #72203
M/W 3:00pm - 4:15pm | Eduardo Schmidt Passos | Tempe Campus | Session C: #78636
T/Th 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Evan Lowe | Tempe Campus | Session C: #73395
T/Th 3:00pm - 4:15pm | Evan Lowe | Tempe Campus | Session C: #69737
T/Th 10:30am - 11:45am | Nicholas O’Neill | Tempe Campus | Session C: #76968
T/Th 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Nicholas O’Neill |Tempe Campus | Session C: #72488
T/Th 12:00pm - 1:45pm | Emily Rap | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85584
T/Th 9:00am - 10:15am | Rick Avramanko | Tempe Campus | Session C: #78062
Available as an iCourse
Session A: #70126
Provides students majoring in the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership the opportunity to explore and develop the skills necessary for their careers after graduation. Students learn from faculty, alumni, and area professionals what careers students of civic thought and leadership typically enter into and what skills can be translated from theory into practice in different professions.
M/W 10:30am - 11:30am | Trevor Shelley | Tempe Campus | Session C: #86664
Introduces fundamental ideas and debates about liberty and equality in American thought from the colonial era to the present, focusing on major political figures and issues--ideas that continue to shape political debates in 21st-century America, thus providing crucial foundations for future leadership roles in either public affairs or the private sector. Enrollment requirements: Credit is allowed for only CEL 200 or CEL 294 (Great Debates in American Politics and Economics)
Courses:
M/W 10:30am – 11:45am | | Tempe Campus | Session C: #70128
M/W 10:30am – 11:45am | Aaron Kushner | Tempe Campus | Session C: #78772
M/W 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Luke Perez | Tempe Campus | Session C: #76998
M/W 3:00pm - 4:15pm | | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85727
M/W 12:00pm - 1:15pm | | Tempe Campus | Session C: #82722
M/W 12:00pm - 1:15pm | Aaron Kushner | Tempe Campus | Session C: #83074
T/Th 12:00pm - 1:15pm | Adam Seagrave | Tempe Campus | Session C: #79909
T/Th 10:30am - 11:45am | Evan Lowe | Tempe Campus | Session C: #76044
T/Th 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Paul Carrese | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85724
T/Th 3:00pm - 4:15pm | | Tempe Campus | Session C: #76997
Available as an iCourse and oCourse
Session A: #77542/78202
Session B: #71139/78203
Explores and debates the politics, economics and morality of 'capitalism'--the system of society that allows space for markets, profit-seeking and money-making. Readings cover the period from antiquity to modern commercial society. Authors studied include Aristotle, the Apostles, Aquinas, Locke, Franklin, Smith, Marx and Weber. Also serves as a broad introduction to the study of political economy.
M/W 12:00pm - 1:15pm | Trevor Shelley | Tempe Campus | Session C: #68395
Discusses great ideas and figures in political leadership and statesmanship, from ancient Greece and early modern Europe to America's founding and the present global uncertainty, especially the major arguments about war, peace and international affairs--ideas that shape foreign policy and grand strategy debates in the 21st century, thus providing crucial foundations for future leadership roles. Major thinkers and episodes include Thucydides, Plutarch, Montesquieu, George Washington, Lincoln, Truman and the Cold War, and Reagan, as well as contemporary debates about America's post-Cold War strategies for its leadership role in global affairs. Incorporates a Marshall brief (a policy presentation) and a group simulation exercise.
MW 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Will Hay | Tempe Campus | Session C: #74022
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership works closely with congressional offices in Arizona, nationwide, and Washington D.C., as well as nonprofits, government agencies, and large and small businesses to develop internship programs for its students.
Our students are interested in facing complex problems, aspiring to become leaders in their field, and are just as eager to learn outside the classroom as they are inside.
The school accepts internship programs for the summer, fall, and spring semesters.
You will need to work 7-10 hours per week in a paid or unpaid position and enroll in CEL 484 to earn three credits and meet the SCETL graduation requirement.
Moral and Political Thought
What is justice? This course explores this question through the lens of ancient political thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. Students will philosophize alongside great ancient minds through critical reading, analysis, and comparison of primary source texts in a participatory classroom environment. They will further enrich their perspective on perennial themes at the heart of politics and ethics: justice, citizenship, political and personal virtues, the rule of law, and the origins and purpose of political life.
T/Th 10:30am-11:45am | Adam Seagrave | Tempe Campus | Session C: #80266
In present-day discourse we commonly hear supporters of this or that platform, party, or politician accuse their opponents of being on the “wrong side of history.” Behind this rhetoric is a belief that history has a trajectory, that over time the human experience changes from worse to better as good ideas, institutions, and practices replace bad ones. This is to say that faith in progress undergirds the various conceptualizations of a “right side of history.” From where does this trust in historical progress spring? And is it warranted? If so, how does positive change come about? Is it fate or the hand of God at play? Is it the work of so-called great men of history? Is it a result of successive class struggles? If, on the other hand, we are wrong to expect a better future, then toward what should we aspire, and why? In this course, we will examine competing theories of history and their interplay with political thought. We will start by looking at major texts of the late Enlightenment and end by considering narratives of progress in light of World Wars I and II. Figures whose work we will read include Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
M/W 10:30am-11:45 am. | Matt Slaboch | Tempe Campus | Session C: #80087
T/Th 1:30pm-2:45 pm. | Ileana Orlich | Tempe Campus | Session C: #
American Political Thought
Was the U.S. Constitution a mistake? During the constitutional ratification debates of 1787-88, the Anti-Federalists argued that it would be, while the Federalists maintained that it structured the government well and that it was the best governing document possible under the circumstances. This course examines the arguments, ideas and questions raised by the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Their debates provide resources to understand and contribute to contemporary political and constitutional debates, and they model how intellectually deep, and morally serious, public discourse can be. Also studies their arguments and applies them to our current politics, while considering the rhetorical and other demands placed upon statesmen in constitutional, democratic systems. Additionally, considers the arguments of critics of American constitutionalism in American history and in the present day, as well as proposals to amend the Constitution.
T/Th 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Colleen Sheehan | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85729
How did America’s political ideologies take shape? What led to today’s party polarization? This course explores the development of political ideas, their challenges, and their impact from the founding to today. Engage in interactive assignments that connect history, theory, and law to modern politics.
M/W 3:00pm - 4:15pm | Aaron Kushner | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85751
This is a seminar-style class that will review the history and foundational principles that underlie Civil-Military Relations in the U.S., including civilian control of the military, military professionalism, the civilian-military 'gap' and race and gender in the U.S. military.
T/Th 10:30am-11:45 am. | Bruce Pagel | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85750
Economic Thought and Political Economy
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the study of political economy, broadly understood, especially since 1900. Political economy is often and usefully defined as the study of the interactions and inter-relationships between the market and the state. We will explore these connections along three dimensions: the relationship between economics and the modern nation state; the causes of economic growth; and the relationship between markets and morality. The first part of the semester will be devoted major thinkers and the latter parts of the course will be devoted to major economic questions of today.
T/Th 12:00pm - 1:15pm | Peter McNamara | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85732
The tradition of combining the study of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) originates at Oxford University. It aims to provide an interdisciplinary foundation for students to become active participants, as citizens and leaders, in a liberal democratic society that faces an uncertain future. It provides familiarity with core conceptual tools provided by philosophy, politics and economics, and an appreciation for the foundation they provide together to address social and political uncertainties we face today as well as in the future. Reliance on any one disciplinary set of tools and skills is useful, but the real challenges of any liberal democracy are met by neither technocratic nor bureaucratic solutions. They require an awareness of the relevance of ethics, politics and economics, as well as an appreciation for the limitations of each and the necessity of thinking through their interactions.
Available as an iCourse and oCourse
Session A: #77543
Leadership and Statesmanship for the 21st Century
Allows ASU students from a variety of disciplines to encounter liberal education, classic texts and Socratic seminars, in an intensive, supportive and beautiful environment. Explores a fundamental question: How do I live a life of meaning? Students read thinkers ranging from Aristotle, Plutarch and Cicero to Viktor Frankl, Toni Morrison and Marge Piercy--and brings to bear their own life experiences--to understand concepts of love, friendship, work, community, citizenship and identity in relation to living an examined life. Expands these studies through practical experiences of service work, meditation and film to create a vital cohort and intellectual community. A central assessment for the course, the Organic Reflective Assessment (ORA), is a series of prompts and responses designed to allow students to think about and receive feedback from professors regarding the practice and methods of liberal learning: how to read texts and annotate them, how to ask questions of authors, how to think about one's own life in relation to and using language from classic texts--on the idea that to use existing, perhaps even widely known, language and relate it to our lives is a way to make our ideas known to ourselves and others. Students have need to keep up with these responses during the retreat.
Susan Carrese | 10/1/2025 7-10 pm, Prescott 10/10-10/14, Coor Oct 17-19 | Prescott National Forest | DYN #85752
Why are sports important to society? Discover why fans are obsessed with their favorite teams, by taking Sports and Leadership with Professor Jack Doody. Enroll today!
Jack Doody | ICourse | Session B: #80957
This is a seminar-style class that will review the history and foundational principles that underlie Civil-Military Relations in the U.S., including civilian control of the military, military professionalism, the civilian-military 'gap' and race and gender in the U.S. military.
T/Th 10:30am-11:45 am. | Bruce Pagel | Tempe Campus | Session C: #85750
This course will examine strategic thought starting with the peace of Westphalia and covering subsequent strategic developments. Using major texts, speeches and doctrine, we will catalogue major strategic developments, survey shifts in key policies, and critically judge strategic outcomes. This discussion will include important strategic concepts such as great power competition, escalation management, attritional war, total war, and more. We will identify and assess the major strategic thinkers in the context of their time and trace the evolution of strategy since Westphalia to the present.
T/Th 1:30pm - 2:45pm | Bruce Pagel | Tempe Campus | Session C: #74460
In partnership with the nonprofit organization, Veterans Heritage Project, students will interview a military veteran preserving the veteran's oral history in video and written form, submitting both to the Library of Congress and publishing it in a hardbound book, 'Since You Asked.' Students will become published authors, test their leadership skills and learn about civic responsibility, all while performing a valuable service to both the individual veteran and the larger national community.
F 10:30am - 11:30am| Nick O'Neill | Tempe Campus | Session C: #77110
Stepping back in history, you will also learn about the country's ties with the former Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires as well as the USSR that still cast a long shadow over the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Students will also participate in academic visits to Ceausescu's People's Palace, Dracula's Castle in the Carpathians, Transylvanian Castles, and more!
8/7/2025 - 8/18/2025 | Ileana Orlich | Tempe Campus | DYN #80079
Our purpose in this course is to look at Europe, past and present, and the interdependency of history, religion, politics and political statesmanship, societies and culture through incomplete but indefinitely expandable groupings selected for their transmission dimensions¿a transmission that includes historically effective patterns of cultural power projection and appropriation beyond the national focus. Our goal is to critically evaluate the demographic, cultural, historical, and geopolitical aspects that have gone into the making of Europe. Historical events and movements, as well as philosophical systems, religious structures, and literary/written texts of local contexts take on a new life as they move into the world at large. To understand this new life, we need to look closely at the ways in which history, religion, politics, societies and culture become reframed in the new cultural contexts, offering a window on the past and helping us to examine the present.
T/Th 12:00pm - 1:15pm | Ileana Orlich | Tempe Campus | Session C: #74107
Course Spotlights
Explore the roots of political order, from ancient Greece to modern India or study the debates over fundamental American principles! Hear directly from our students and faculty on what civic and economic thought and leadership courses are all about.