Lifelines for Leaders: “A Glimpse of the American Government & Politics Committee at Work”

by Classical Baccalaureate Substack (July 27)

This summer, CLT launched a new Substack to outline the purposes and designs of an alternative approach to AP courses and testing. The Classical Baccalaureate is being piloted in Texas with the first cohort aiming to receive course credit by exam from the University of Dallas. The latest post details the scholarly expertise and design that will go into the American Government & Politics course…

Classical Baccalaureate (CB) describes its American Government & Politics committee as part of a broader effort to create a rigorous, coherent diploma program scheduled to launch in 2027. The committee—made up of scholars and educators from the University of Dallas, Hillsdale College, and Biola University—has begun shaping both the course and its exam. CB points to its Spring 2026 mini pilot as an early success: two students from Founders Classical Academy earned University of Dallas course credit through passing exam scores.

The committee’s central idea is that politics should be studied as more than the management of power or distribution of resources. Drawing on Aristotle, it defines politics as the study of “who rules and to what end,” and presents human beings as naturally political. The planned course will therefore seek not only to teach students about American institutions and constitutional government, but also to cultivate virtuous citizenship, especially through the exercise of prudence and moral judgment. CB intentionally uses the phrase “science of politics” to stress the examination of the underlying causes, purposes, and forms of political life.

The proposed curriculum will approach American government through historical, philosophical, and comparative study rather than isolated facts or contemporary policy opinions. Students will engage with important texts and thinkers, connect events and ideas across time, and compare American political questions with earlier traditions and systems of rule. Assessments are intended to reward contextual knowledge, nuanced argument, and the ability to make meaningful connections—for example, relating modern issues to the Lincoln-Douglas debates or American founding ideas to Aristotelian principles.

Overall, the article presents CB’s approach as an alternative to conventional government courses: one that is academically demanding, rooted in the Western and American political tradition, and openly concerned with moral and civic formation. Although the committee has not finalized the course or exam, CB emphasizes its hope that the program will help students see political study as a meaningful pursuit that can encourage thoughtful, responsible, and constructive citizenship.

[Read the CB Substack here.]

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Robert L. Jackson

For 25 years, Dr. Jackson has promoted liberal education through teaching, scholarship, and administrative activities. He began as a professor of English and education, then worked as chief academic officer at Great Hearts, where he founded the GH Institute. Currently, Jackson serves as the executive director of the Florida Institute for Classical Learning. He also serves as a senior fellow for Flagler College and the Chesterton Schools Network, while contributing as an associate editor for Principia journal. Jackson has received teaching awards from Florida State University and The King’s College, and was the 2021 recipient of the Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship.