Rebuilding American Civics

Rebuilding American Civics – Spring 2023

At a time when civics engagement and civic education are more important than ever, IM Education and the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership are once again proud to offer their popular series of Rebuilding American Civics classes, which are free and open to the public.

Classes will begin with a lesson to provide context and will be grounded in the history and fundamentals of the American government. An open discussion about the topic will follow. As always, we encourage diverse viewpoints and ideas about these topics, as one of our main goals is developing civil discourse and critical thinking.

Sessions start at 6:30 pm and the dates are as follows: 

Wednesday, Feb 15 – U.S. Congressional leadership and how Congress operates  

Wednesday, Feb 22 – State legislative update with Wisconsin State Reps. Jill Billings and Steve Doyle

Wednesday, Mar 1 – How are Wisconsin State Supreme Court justices selected, and is this the best way to select judges? 

Wednesday, Mar 8 – Writing an effective Letter to the Editor with Rusty Cunningham, former Publisher at Lee Enterprises and Executive Editor of the La Crosse Tribune

**Mark your calendars for additional spring dates**

• Tuesdays-March 21, March 28, April 4, and April 11
• Topics to be determined

*In-person sessions will be held at the La Crosse Area Heritage Center (506 Main Street, La Crosse, WI 54601) 

Thank you to the La Crosse County Historical Society (LCHS) for hosting the in-person sessions. The LCHS does not endorse any views presented or shared during class sessions. 

Registration:

• Sessions are offered a la carte; feel free to attend one or more sessions.
• When you register please indicate which sessions you will be attending 
• Please register by contacting Kelli Jerve at Kelli@inspiredmindsedu.org

Rebuilding American Civics is offered as a partnership between Viterbo University’s Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and IM Education to provide civics education and discussion for community members. Sam Scinta, founder of IM Education, Inc., is the moderator for each session.

Learn More:

• Previous Classes 

Understanding the Supreme Court

Wisconsin Government and Politics

Understanding Civil Liberties—Privacy Rights

The role of the media in American government

The role of the President in American Government

Interest groups and getting involved in American political issues

• What Participants are Saying:

“As a long-ago Political Science major, I don’t remember those subjects ever being taught with such practicality and vigor. I observed others in the class listening with rapt attention, especially coming alive in the question and discussion portions.” 

“attending this class tonight and hearing [Sam] explain the materials made a lot of sense to things I did not understand.”

“I have participated in both the Winter and Spring Sessions of Rebuilding American Civics…participants were from a wide variety of our community, including recent college graduates, retirees, former elected officials, and citizens who just wanted a better understanding of civics and the tools to talk about issues in a safe, non-judgmental arena so as to learn to better understand and discuss topics with those with differing viewpoints.”

“Every morning I watch the news, and after participating in these classes, I understand nuances and complexities that I had not even noticed before.”