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Join the National Constitution Center for a free, in-person professional development workshop at the UT-Knoxville Conference Center exploring religious liberty and the First Amendment.
The workshop will be led by National Constitution Center Civic Education for Rural and Remote Communities (CERCC) Fellow Rebecca Smart and joined by Dr. James Patterson, associate professor in the Institute of American Civics at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Together, they will guide participants through the constitutional foundations of religious liberty and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment’s religion clauses over time, including in recent cases.
Participants will engage with primary sources and the Center’s trusted, nonpartisan resources while practicing its educational framework of historical foundations through storytelling, constitutional thinking skills, and civil dialogue and reflection. Educators will leave with practical strategies for helping students explore complex constitutional questions, engage thoughtfully with diverse perspectives, and support their arguments with evidence.
Throughout the session, participants will:
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Deepen their constitutional knowledge by exploring the history, text, and interpretation of the First Amendment’s religion clauses.
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Engage with primary sources and constitutional questions that help students develop constitutional thinking skills and consider diverse perspectives.
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Practice strategies for civil dialogue and reflection that support thoughtful, evidence-based classroom conversations.
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Leave with trusted, nonpartisan NCC resources and instructional strategies ready to use in the classroom.
This program is part of the National Constitution Center’s Civic Education for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) Fellowship, an initiative designed to expand access to high-quality constitutional learning and civil dialogue in rural and remote communities across the United States by investing in educators and building lasting local capacity.
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