Foundations of American Democracy
Overview
Foundations of American Democracy is a new Core requirement for students entering Fall 2025. Students must successfully complete a course that teaches them to
- Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,
- Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form “a more perfect Union,” including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.
This requirement will ensure that students who graduate from Fayetteville State University will understand how democracy works in the United States and how it has developed over the 250-year history of our nation.
The Foundations of American Democracy requirement is a result of a UNC System policy approved in April 2024 (UNC Policy Manual 400.1.5). However, Fayetteville State has a long commitment to education in civic engagement. Our Undergraduate Core Curriculum includes a learning outcome in Ethics and Civic Engagement. For this reason, we were happy to integrate the requirement into our Core.
The challenge was how to do so without adding credits to the Core or to our degree programs. Our solution was to ensure that courses satisfying the new Foundations of American Democracy requirement would also satisfy another Core requirement. Students can satisfy two Core requirements by taking one Foundations course, as the following table illustrates.
Courses
| Foundations of American Democracy | Other Core Requirement |
| BADM 220, Ethics in a Contemporary World | Ethics and Civic Engagement |
| HCM 200, Foundations of American Democracy and Ethics for Health Professions | Ethics and Civic Engagement |
| HIST 211, The United States to 1865 | Ethics and Civic Engagement |
| POLI 150, North Carolina Politics | Ethics and Civic Engagement |
| ENGL 111, Composition I: Writing about American Democracy | Communication Skills - Written Communication |
| HIST 212, The United States since 1865 | Scientific Literacy - Social Science |
| POLI 210, Principles of American Government | Scientific Literacy - Social Science |
| HUMN 216, Cultural Foundations of American Democracy | Humanities and Creative Arts |
| HUMN 217, Performing American Democracy | Humanities and Creative Arts |
| PHIL 230, Political and Social Philosophy | Humanities and Creative Arts |
Several of the courses that satisfy the Foundations of American Democracy requirement also satisfy Ethics and Civic Engagement, but several others fulfill other Core requirements. That is because students in some majors have designated Ethics and Civic Engagement courses that could not be modified to address Foundations of American Democracy as well. Students should work with their advisors to ensure that they take Foundations of American Democracy courses that will also satisfy another Core requirement for them. By working closely with their advisors, students can complete the Foundations requirement without taking additional credits.
Summary
- Who: Entering first-time freshmen and transfers with fewer than 60 transfer credits
- What: Foundations of American Democracy Core requirement
- When: All students entering Fall 2025 or later.
- Where: To get more information about the requirement and plan your class schedule, contact your advisor.
- Why: To ensure that all FSU graduates understand the origins and development of American democracy.