Why the Major in Citizenship and Civic Engagement?

The Maxwell School's new undergraduate major in Citizenship and Civic Engagement is designed for students who are already planning to study one of the social sciences, but who want more.

It's for students who appreciate analysis, scholarship, and concepts, but who also wish to apply the analytical tools of the classroom to solving real-world social problems.

With its fundamentally interdisciplinary curriculum, Citizenship and Civic Engagement serves that special goal. Students enroll in the program as a second major - in addition to one of the social science departments also based at the Maxwell School, or a related discipline outside of Maxwell with a substantial focus on the social sciences.* The concepts learned through the social sciences resound through the Citizenship and Civic Engagement major's emphasis on breadth, engagement, and action.

At the same time, the Citizenship and Civic Engagement major is a strong step toward a meaningful career. Students work with faculty mentors who not only help see them through their coursework, but who guide students in major research projects that connect to real-world issues and point toward post-college roles that make a difference. 

The Citizenship and Civic Engagement major is consistent with the School's unique mission, as defined by founder George Maxwell. He wanted his school to educate students about the opportunities and responsibilities of citizenship. As a result, the study of the social sciences at Maxwell has always been imbued with a sense of civic responsibility. Conversely, the teaching of citizenship has always tapped into the expertise of all the social science disciplines.

The Citizenship and Civic Engagement major offers undergraduates the chance to tap directly into this vital legacy of the Maxwell School.

* The social sciences at Syracuse University include anthropology, economics, history, geography, international relations, political science, public affairs, and sociology. Other majors that entail a substantial social-science focus, such as African American Studies or Women’s and Gender Studies, would also quality.