Scholar Exchanges — National Constitution Center
Program Overview and Logistics: The National Constitution Center hosts a Scholar Exchanges program that gives students the opportunity to discuss constitutional topics with a lawyer, judge, or constitutional scholar and their peers from around the country. In this setting, we hope students gain a deeper constitutional understanding and engage in enhanced civil discourse. We work primarily with High School and Middle School students and all of the Scholar Exchanges are virtual, usually on Zoom, and are scheduled for 45 minutes. The scholar, NCC moderator and class(es) of students will join to discuss a topic related to the Constitution.
Scholar Participation: When it comes to participation, Scholars are under no obligation to teach a certain number of classes. The NCC keeps a mailing list of participating scholars and scholars can decide whenever there is a class time that works for their schedule. Once a class time has been agreed upon, the NCC will send along the zoom link to join as well as a content script and PowerPoint that is used in each class. The script is paired with the slides of the presentation and provides a framework for the discussion. However, scholars are encouraged to include personal experiences and observations during the class.
Scholars will be supported in each class by a member of the National Constitution Center's Education Team. The NCC moderator takes care of sharing the PowerPoint and facilitating the conversation, as well as providing any additional assistance scholars may require.
Shadowing: Scholars are always welcome to observe a class. If there is a class that you would like to observe, please email [email protected].
Program Topics: We offer a number of topics that teachers can choose from.The following topics are offered throughout the year:
Constitutional Conversations
Federalism and the Separation of Powers
Bill of Rights
First Amendment: Speech and Press
14th Amendment
Voting Rights
Go to the National Consitution Center website to schedule a session now! If you have any questions, or would like to review additional program topics, please do not hesitate to email [email protected].