UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's Constitution Day celebration invites the University community and wider public to reflect on and discuss the question, “What is the role of ‘the People’ in sustaining democracy?”
The video- and poster-based virtual celebration will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Individuals interested in participating can join online the day of the event.
Penn State’s annual Constitution Day celebration seeks to engage students, faculty, staff, and wider publics with conversations around the U.S. Constitution, its perils, and its promise. The University, like any institution of higher education accepting federal money, is required by federal law to mark Constitution Day on or about Sept. 17 each year.
As with previous celebrations, the core of this year’s event will once again be educational posters created by students in Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement — the only prescribed course for the Intercollege Minor in Civic and Community Engagement. Rather than having students attend a lecture or other presentation, this event requires students to engage with the U.S. Constitution and, if they choose, compare, and contrast this founding document to other countries’ constitutions. Students will be online during the event to answer questions and address comments about their posters focused on this year’s thematic question.
Kirt Wilson, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and African American studies and interim head of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, suggested this year’s question. “The Constitution’s preamble begins with the words, ‘We the People of the United States,'” he said. “Throughout our history as a nation, we have discussed, debated, and sometimes even fought over who is and is not included in the words ‘We the People.’ We have rarely asked the question, ‘What kind of People should we be?’
“Constitution Day affords us the opportunity to ask, ‘What kind of People should we be to ensure that the Constitution remains a guide and foundation for democracy?’ This question is essential as we seek to understand the Constitution’s relevance to our society today.”
Materials from this year’s Constitution Day will be archived online after the event at https://civcm.psu.edu/constitution-day. Information and resources from previous Constitution Day celebrations are also available at that site.
The annual Constitution Day celebration is sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and the Intercollege Minor in Civic and Community Engagement. To learn more about the event or the minor, please contact Rosa Eberly at rhosa@psu.edu or William Aungst at bwa12@psu.edu.
For more information about the U.S. Constitution, please visit https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution or https://constitutioncenter.org.