Civic Studies » audio and video

the case for viewpoint diversity

Peter — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:37:19 +0000

Here is a quick interview of me for Tufts’ Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education. I think the question was something like this: “Why is it important to include diverse points of view?” Even though I appear to be looking heavenward for answers, I stand by my claim that ethical reasoning is comparative; and […] Continue reading →

a resource for students on social movements and activism

Peter — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:20:08 +0000

In a recorded interview with the Story Preservation Initiative, I discuss “landmark cases and civic turning points—including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown v. Board of Education, the United Farm Workers boycott, and Watergate—to illustrate how people came together to reinforce core democratic principles of equality, justice, and the rule of law.” This recording and related […] Continue reading →

Friends and Fellow Citizens podcast

Peter — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 19:08:07 +0000

This is a recent conversation with host Sherman Tylawsky, a political science PhD student at the University of Alabama, my friend Harry Boyte, and me. In the 1960s, Harry worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a field secretary with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and we have known each other since the late 1980s, […] Continue reading →

The Great Battlefield podcast

Peter — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 22:29:46 +0000

For his podcast, The Great Battlefield, Nathaniel G. Pearlman interviewed me about my whole life so far (starting with my childhood), my recent visit to Ukraine, and my take on the state of US democracy. The result–an hour’s conversation–is here: The Great Battlefield · Professional Study of Civics with Peter Levine of Tufts Continue reading →

In Ukraine: Building Civic Life Amid War

Peter — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:46:04 +0000

In this episode of The Stakes, host Brad Rourke speaks with Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow and retired Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and Kettering board member and Tufts professor Peter Levine. They reflect on their recent experiences helping to build democracy and civil society in Ukraine—O’Connor working to vet candidates for the embattled Constitutional Court, […] Continue reading →

from Ukraine (2): a video on happiness

Peter — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:16:52 +0000

I made this video in my hotel room in Kyiv last night. I was preparing for the public lecture on the subject of “happiness” that I will give tomorrow. For reasons that I mention at the start of the video, I am a bit anxious about this lecture, and I was rehearsing. However, my conversations […] Continue reading →

Civic Studies reel

Peter — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 19:57:49 +0000

Thanks to my colleagues at Tisch College, here is a one-and-a-half minute video that introduces Civic Studies as a major at Tufts and also an intellectual movement. The speakers are my students and colleague (and me). It gives a sense of our daily lif... Continue reading →

podcast on free Speech, democracy, and campus discourse

Peter — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 22:00:38 +0000

In this episode of Pulse Check, entitled Reclaiming Free Speech, Democracy, and Discourse on Campus: A Post-2024 Election America, I was interviewed by Dr. J. Cody Nielsen. Recorded just days after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, our discussion addressed the election’s implications for higher education, democracy, and meaningful dialogue and civic engagement on college campuses. Key […]

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complexity and nuance about public opinion

Peter — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 16:20:05 +0000

Last Monday, I gave a talk at Colgate University. I claimed that if you read a lot of mainstream survey research, you’re likely to conclude that “people are stupid and they hate each other,” but this negative assessment reflects some bias. A student, Colgate senior Clementina Aboagye, told Maddie Koger of the Colgate Maroon-News: “I […]

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two discussions of civics during the 2024 campaign

Peter — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:22:12 +0000

For the Yale Alumni Educators group, Mike Fishback moderated a recent conversation about navigating the 2024 election in schools. The guests were my friends Louise Dube, the Executive Director of iCivics, Jane Kamensky, the President of Monticello, and me. The video is below, and there’s also an audio-only file for people who might prefer that […]

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