Academic Civic Engagement and Scholarship

At Carleton, Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) has long referred to an approach to education focusing on community-based learning. ACE courses may be Applied, which generally indicates that a civic engagement project is an integral part of the course, and often involves collaboration with community partners. ACE can also be Theoretical, meaning that it focuses on the theoretical exploration of civic engagement. These courses focus on issues of democracy, such as social justice, positionality, and forms of systemic oppression, and directly explore how students might engage in work towards social change.

ACE Learning Objectives

  • Understanding issues in their real world complexity
  • Recognizing and honoring different forms of knowledge that may reside in/with community partners
  • Awareness of your positionality, or who you are as you seek to do civic engagement efforts (such as gender, race, and/or socioeconomic background)
  • Doing — how can you take your course content and do something with it beyond the classroom while learning in the process
  • Developing leadership skills
  • Nurturing a commitment to life-long civic engagement
Academic Civic Engagement course examples and resources. Click image for PDF.
Timeline of an Academic Civic Engagement Course

Resources for ACE course design, implementation, and assessment

ACE Course Design

ACE Course Implementation

ACE Course Assessment

Resources on ACE Scholarship and Civic Campus