Getting involved in civic engagement can be a daunting task due to the complexity of the topic. These resources provide some background on civic engagement, insights into how to increase your participation, and resources for taking action.

To start, it may be best to answer the following question: "What is civic engagement?"

Online Resources

• Civic Participation from Healthy People 2030 is a great article that outlines civic action and delves into topics such as how to increase civic action, its benefits, and who predominantly participates.
• Civic Engagement in Higher Education provides a breakdown of civic engagement and its nuances.  
• Civic responsibility is the idea that we all have a duty to actively participate in the public life of our communities. Read about what this means. 
• Universities are a place where civic discourse is prominent but constant engagement can be taxing. This article talks about Fostering Civic Engagement in Students.  
• Social cohesion is another form of civic engagement. This idea refers to the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity among community members.  
• MoveOn is a resource for civic education and advocacy and provides civic engagement tools free to the public (not that it is a Progressive program). It aims to support grassroot leaders and get people involved with petitions.   
• Ways to Take Action in the Digital Age shares insights on how to use media and the internet to make change.  
• Learning to Give has resources for voting, petitioning, differentiating between fact and opinion, and how to have collaborative conversations. 
• Bellevue University has a website dedicated to learning how to find credible information.  
• If you are unfamiliar with terminology regarding civic topics, check out this Legislative Glossary. 

Academic Readings about Civic Action

• Political Parties and Civic Action Groups 
• Human Rights, Power and Civic Action: Comparative Analyses of Struggles for Rights In Developing Societies 
• Making Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes Into Civic Action 
• Civic Action Breakdown  
• How Civic Action Works: Fighting for Housing In Los Angeles 
• The Changing Effectiveness of Local Civic Action: The Critical Nexus of Community and Organization 

These resources are just a snippet of information regarding all that civic engagement can be. Civic engagement is interdisciplinary. You may already practice civic engagement in your daily life! The UO Library has online and physical resources to learn more.  

Student Groups and Campus Programs

Clubs and organizations around campus focus on civic topics and action. For a complete list of opportunities, visit Engage.

• AccessABILITY Student Union 
• Amnesty International – UO Chapter 
• Climate Justice League 
• Coalition Against Environmental Racism 
• College Moderates 
• Ducks for Israel 
• Ducks in the Public Square 
• Federalist Society 
• Food Justice Initiative 
• FSL Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force 
• Health and Justice 
• Land, Air, Water 
• Leading Women of Tomorrow 
• LiveMove 
• Mecha 
• Operation Period 
• OSPIRG 
• Radical Organizing and Activism Resource (ROAR) Center 
• Society for Ecological Restoration Student Association UO 
• Student Conflict Resolution Center (SCRC) 
• Student Insurgent 
• Students for Choice 
• Students for Global Health 
• United Nations Association at UO 
• UO College Democrats 
• UO College Republicans 
• Young Democratic Socialists at UO

Courses Related to Civic Engagement

The University of Oregon offers many courses that relate to civic engagement, including:  

• CRES 101: Introduction to Conflict Resolution  
• PPPM 101. Advocacy and Social Change 
• PPPM 325. Community Leadership and Change 
• PS 106 Power, Politics, and Inequality 
• PS 201 United States Politics 
• PS 206 Ethics, Identity, and Power 
• PS 302 States’ Rights (and Wrongs) 
• PS 304 Democracy, Dictators, and Development 
• PS 308 United States Political Thought 
• PS 408: Democracy in Practice  
• PS 355: Media in Politics 
• PS 370: Oregon Government and Politics 
• PS 491: Politics Everyday Life 
• SOC 207: Social Inequality 
• SOC 310: Social Theory 
• SOC 345: Race and Ethnicity