About the CAP
The Civic Agency Project (CAP) is an undergraduate think tank that focuses on problems of civic engagement and democratic leadership. CAP is designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and civic engagement. The project educates students in multi-disciplinary approaches to democratic engagement that are centered in the liberal arts, while emphasizing the leadership virtues of compassion, intellectual openness, self-awareness, public-mindedness, and personal integrity. It combines both experiential and curricular opportunities designed to facilitate the creation of innovative solutions to the problems of contemporary democratic life. Finally, it offers students opportunities to connect with civically engaged scholars, expert mentors, and a strong, supportive community of their peers.
CAP fellows identify key issues related to civic engagement and develop innovative projects designed to reinvigorate our democratic virtues, practices, and institutions. Undergraduate fellows have the opportunity to present their projects to the William & Mary community at an end-of-the-year symposium.
The course component of the project is taught byJohn Lombardini (Weingartner Associate Professor of Government and Affiliate Faculty in Classical Studies). In the course, students engage with a set of common readings designed to foster a shared understanding of the problems related to civic engagement and democratic leadership and to facilitate collaboration between students on their respective projects.
