Ohio freshmen arriving on public university campuses this fall face a new graduation requirement: a state-mandated American civics literacy course that supporters say will combat ideological bias and critics call an intrusion into academic freedom.
The mandate is part of Senate Bill 1, Ohio's sweeping higher education law backed by Republican lawmakers who said it will help prevent students from getting an ideologically liberal indoctrination as they are educated in state institutions. When Gov. Mike DeWine signed the law in 2025, much attention was paid to parts banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campuses; ending faculty's right to strike and mandating course syllabi go public.
The law also required schools develop the three-credit hour course on "American civic literacy." Some, including the University of Cincinnati, do not have enough professors or classroom space to provide the course to all incoming freshmen this fall. For students graduating in spring 2030 or later, the course must be completed by graduation to obtain a bachelor's degree.
Exemptions may apply to students who have passed approved College Credit Plus or Advanced Placement courses in American history or government.
Lawmakers wanted to address a "substantial deficiency" in students' understanding of American history and founding documents, said Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Kirtland Republican, the bill's primary sponsor. A 2025 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation survey found 58% of adults fail a basic civics test.
The course must include "a study of the American economic system and capitalism." Students must read the full text of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail. A minimum of five essays from the Federalist Papers – selected by the department chair – must also be studied, as well as the writings of Adam Smith, a Scottish economist and philosopher.
The law does not otherwise prescribe lesson plans, but syllabi must be approved by the chancellor of higher education. Cirino said schools should offer "not a left or a right view of history or civics, but a good, balanced view."
Many professors, however, say the mandate addresses a problem that didn't exist and infringes on academic freedom. Steven Conn, a history professor at Miami University, said he was already teaching most of the required texts.
"Universities in this country have been engines of progress and innovation precisely because they are places of academic and intellectual freedom," Conn said.
Spencer Kiesel was hired to teach American Political Thought, one of two approved civic literacy courses at the University of Cincinnati. He said he's a "huge fan" of students taking civics but wishes universities would have made it required first. He said he understands why legislators gave the order but has concerns with some provisions, particularly the requirement that students must pass a final exam.
"Pretty much every single semester, I have some student whose family member died or just has some horrible illness, like the flu, that particular week," Kiesel said. "You have to take this exam or you fail the course. If you do poorly on this exam, even if you're an A student up to this point, you have to fail the course. And I don't have any say over that because it's literally written into the law."
The law states, "Any student who takes the course shall be required to pass a cumulative final examination at the conclusion of the course that assesses student proficiency about the documents." But when asked about the requirement, Cirino wasn't sure of that.
"I don't have it (the law) in front of me, but I doubt we would have said that," Cirino said. "You could do great work and have a bad day on your final. You shouldn't be totally penalized for that, right?"
Kiesel said he hopes lawmakers will consider making minor changes to give faculty more flexibility.
Because the bill does not provide funding for offering the course, Conn said he worries the mandate will add costs for universities already under financial strain. UC and Miami have both hired new faculty and have added the civics literacy course to a variety of departments, such as history, humanities and political science, as a way to give students more options to get the course credit.
Most schools list a flat tuition rate for full-time students, but part-time students pay by the credit hour, so the new course adds costs for them. For example, a credit hour for incoming students at Miami University is $644.34. That means the cost of a three-credit hour class, such as the civics literacy course, would be $1,900.
Universities have adopted different strategies to meet the requirement's first-year demand.
UC is seeing its largest freshman class this fall, with 7,500 students expected at the Uptown campus alone.
Kiesel is the only instructor for American Political Thought, offered under political science. He's teaching three full sections, with an overall capacity of 292 students, according to a search of UC's class offerings. The other approved course, Democracy and the American Tradition, is also full, with four history professors teaching 12 sections.
Kiesel said the school will likely hire more faculty members next year to ensure the courses are prioritized and accessible.
Miami University got an early start to civic education after the Ohio General Assembly enacted legislation in 2023 to establish the Center for Civics, Culture, and Society. In its inaugural year, two American civics literacy classes were offered: The American Political Tradition and Dimensions of American Civic Thought.
"We kind of piloted those courses this past academic year, just to see what worked and what didn't," said Flagg Taylor, the center's director. He said three faculty members offered slightly differing versions of the courses.
The university has 11 faculty members teaching various sections of the course for the fall semester, Taylor said. More than 1,000 students were enrolled as of Aug. 12 in the center's two approved courses this fall, filling roughly 94% of available seats, according to Miami University's online course list search.
A university spokesperson said additional sections will be offered by the departments of humanities and creative arts, history and political science "to ensure adequate capacity and disciplinary breadth."
Including Miami, five Ohio universities have civics centers. The Dispatch reported that course enrollment has varied, with Ohio State filling over half its seats in spring 2026 but the University of Toledo enrolling just 7%.
At Miami, Introduction to Civic Thought, a required course for civic thought minors, is also full. But as of Aug. 12, enrollment was low for the center's remaining courses. Just two of 30 seats were filled for Rhetoric and Civic Life. Four of 30 were filled for The Art of Statesmanship, and 12 of 40 seats were filled for Constitutionalism.
Conn worries that requiring these courses will create a "dreary" learning environment. Students hate required courses, he said.
"Teaching these courses is going to be dreadful for the people who teach them," Conn said. "And students will regard it as a waste of their time, a box they have to check, and they won't get anything out of it."
Cirino introduced Senate Bill 461, which he called the Strengthening Ohio Civics Act, in the Ohio Senate on June 22 to ensure independence and sustainability of the centers. If passed, the law will establish an Ohio Civics Board made up of the centers' five directors. He said the board would be in charge of approving syllabi, rather than the chancellor, as well as delegating who can teach the courses.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New Ohio-required civics class raises questions of academic freedom