In June 2021, the Purdue University Board of Trustees adopted a civics literacy graduation requirement for undergraduates, including all transfer students, to enhance the educational experience of students and to graduate a more informed citizenry.
Therefore, undergraduate students pursuing a degree in a Purdue program and who started at IUPUI or IUPUC in fall 2022 or later must satisfy the civics literacy requirement to graduate.
The activities and knowledge test to complete the civics literacy requirement will:
Increase your understanding of important contemporary political issues
Identify opportunities to grow your engagement in American politics
Expand your awareness of and options for civic participation
How to complete the civics literacy requirement
Students must choose either Option 1 or Option 2. Once the chosen option has been completed (all steps for the option must be completed successfully), a milestone will be added to the student’s transcript indicating that the requirement has been satisfied.
Option 1: Approved course pathway
There are two steps for this option. The steps may be done in any order, but both steps must be completed.
Step 1
Students must successfully complete one of the following approved courses* with a grade of C– or higher:
HIST-H 105 American History I
HIST-H 106 American History II
POLS-Y 103 Introduction to American Politics
*Students may also apply AP, transfer, dual, or other transcripted credit for one of the courses on this list toward this requirement.
Step 2
Students must pass the knowledge test, which covers topics about American history and government. For more information about the test, please see FAQs below.
Option 2: Podcast pathway
There are three steps for this option. All three steps must be completed. There is no cost for the podcasts or quizzes.
Step 1
Students must successfully complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement.
Step 2
Students must pass a short quiz for each podcast with a grade of 80% or higher (or answer at least 40 out of 50 questions correctly). These quizzes should be completed after each podcast.
Step 3
Students must pass the knowledge test, which covers topics about American history and government. This step may be completed before, during, or after the first two steps. For more information about the test, please see FAQs below.
FAQs
The civics literacy requirement applies to undergraduate degree-seeking students in Purdue programs. This includes all degree programs in the School of Engineering and Technology (except Music Technology and Music Therapy) and all degree programs in the School of Science (except Environmental Science and Geology).
If you are seeking a certificate or minor ONLY in a Purdue program, you do not have to complete this requirement.
This requirement begins with students whose first semester at IUPUI or IUPUC was fall 2022 or later. Students attending prior to that date are not required to satisfy this requirement, but may choose to complete it and receive the notation on their transcript if they wish.
At the beginning of each semester, undergraduate students in Purdue programs will be automatically enrolled in the Canvas site that provides access to the podcasts. If you have enrolled, you should see the “Purdue Civics Literacy” course showing in your Canvas dashboard.
If you do not see this course showing up automatically—for example, if you have recently changed your major into a Purdue program, and the change happened after students were auto-enrolled for the semester—you can self-enroll in the course.
Undergraduate students who are not in Purdue programs but are interested in gaining this milestone may also self-enroll using the link.
Each of the 12 podcasts may be found in a module consisting of a podcast and associated quiz. Students must listen to all podcasts and pass each quiz with a score of 80% or higher (or answer at least 40 out of 50 questions correctly) to satisfy the podcast requirement. Quizzes can be taken more than once. There is no cost for the podcasts or quizzes.
The knowledge test is a proctored test and may be taken as many times as needed to achieve successful completion (or a score of 80% or higher). Please note that students may only take the test once in a given day. A retake must be scheduled for a later date. There is no cost for taking the knowledge test.
IUPUI students
The knowledge test must be taken through the IUPUI Testing Center and may be scheduled with the link below.
IUPUC students who want to take the knowledge test in Columbus should contact the coordinator of the Academic Resource Center at (812) 375-7528 to schedule the test. The test may also be taken in the IUPUI Testing Center by calling (317) 278-2288.
No. The knowledge test may be taken before, during, or after completing an approved course (in Option 1) or the podcast series and quizzes (in Option 2).
No. The knowledge test is free and may be taken as many times as needed (with a limit of once per day). Any retakes must be scheduled with the IUPUI Testing Center.
Absolutely! Any IUPUI or IUPUC undergraduate may complete the civics literacy milestone. Just choose one of the options above. Any faculty, staff, or student may also view the podcasts and take the quizzes.
Still have questions?
If you still have questions about the civics literacy requirement, please contact your academic advisor.
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