Join the working group here!
Application Deadline: July 7, 2025
The American Political Science Association’s Departmental Services Program seeks faculty and department leaders to join a new working group supporting political science departments whose programs and courses help their university or college meet externally mandated American politics and civics undergraduate credit requirements. Nine states already require undergraduate students at public higher education institutions to take course requirements, while many state legislatures and regents boards across the U.S. are considering similar mandates. APSA’s Working Group on American Civics Undergraduate Course Requirements aims to:
- develop peer-to-peer political science departmental networking and collaboration.
- produce a resource document sharing best practices that can be distributed to the wider discipline via APSA’s digital platforms.
- host a virtual webinar and/or Annual Meeting roundtable to highlight its findings and resources to the wider audience.
The working group is interested in addressing the following questions:
- Curriculum and Learning Objectives – What are the common lessons and goals for undergraduate American government students?
- Institutional Variance of Instruction – How do departments deliver course content across types of institutions? (examples: Regional/Land Grant/Research/Liberal Arts/Two-Year)
- Undergraduate Enrollment – How are political science departments using the American civics requirements to recruit undergraduate majors?
- Departmental Advocacy – How can political science departments use these mandated American civics requirements to advocate to university leadership for instructional resources?
Who is eligible to join?
New, current, and aspiring departmental leaders interested in collaborating to strengthen how political science departments meet externally mandated American government and civics course requirements are welcome to join.
How will the working group meet?
The majority of the working group sessions will be held virtually. The working group may gather during the 2025 APSA Annual Meeting held in Vancouver, Canada.
When will the working group start?
The working group will start in July 2025.
What is the working group’s schedule?
The working group will set its own meeting schedule and timeline once it is fully convened.
What are the expectations for working group participants?
Working group participants are asked to contribute to the intellectual mission and collegial environment, attend virtual working group sessions, develop and/or curate resources, and participate in any virtual webinar(s) or Annual Meeting event(s).
How can I join the working group?
To join the APSA Working Group on American Civics Undergraduate Course Requirements, please complete this form.
Meet the Working Group Co-Facilitators
Howard Sanborn
is a Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at Oklahoma State University; he joined the OSU faculty in 2022. Dr. Sanborn has published pieces in several highly-respected journals, including the British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly, European Political Science Review, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties, Journal of Legislative Studies, Korea Observer, and the Asian Journal of Comparative Politics. His research has focused on the support for, and development of, democracy around the world, with a specific focus on Asia. In 2019, Dr. Sanborn was named a Core Fulbright Scholar, investigating legislative politics in Hong Kong while in residence at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during the anti-ELAB protests that took place in the city that summer and fall. His public commentary has been featured on the Monkey Cage blog of the Washington Post, in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and on With Good Reason, broadcast to National Public Radio stations across the United States. Dr. Sanborn received his B.A. in Politics from Washington and XXX University in 2001 and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 2009.
William Schreckhise
is a Professor and has served as the chair of the Department of Political Science since 2019. He earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University. His research and teaching primarily focus on American political institutions and public policy, with a particular emphasis on topics related to administrative law. Dr. Schreckhise is the author of Evaluating American Democracy and Public Policymaking (2018), which assesses the American political system’s capacity for effective public policy formulation. His work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Public Administration, Research and Theory, Administration and Society, Policy Sciences, State and Local Government Review, State Politics and Policy Quarterly. He is the recipient of Fulbright College’s Master Teacher Award (2014) and Outstanding Advisor Award (2017).
The APSA Departmental Services Program supports political science departments by providing resources for department chairs; data and reports on the profession; forums for departments to address common issues; and services for chairs, faculty, and students. Learn more about the program at www.apsanet.org/programs/departmental-services.