Center for Public Service
Armington 427
publicservice@upike.edu
(606) 218-4493

Explore the Great Questions of Democracy and Political Life

A selective, three-week summer seminar hosted at the University of Pikeville for rising high school students, in partnership with Yale.

Dates: July 7–25 | Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Location: UPIKE Campus

The Allegheny Civic Fellowship offers students the opportunity to strengthen their academic writing and critical thinking skills through close readings of foundational texts and discussions of democracy, justice, and American ideals. Led by Yale undergraduates and UPIKE faculty, this nonresidential program invites students to join a cohort of thoughtful peers for daily lectures, seminars, writing labs, and guest speakers. This opportunity offers students a chance to spend three weeks improving their advanced reading and writing skills while grappling with the greatest questions of Western civilization:

  • How do people live together in political communities?
  • What are the blessings and limitations of democracy?
  • How has America realized and struggled with the ideals of ancient philosophers?

Our Story: Founded by Yale undergraduates and hosted by UPIKE’s Center for Public Service, the Fellowship invites students to explore traditions that shaped American democracy through small-group seminar discussions, interactive debate / Model UN-style activities and lectures from guest speakers. The Program offers students a chance to get a head start on college-level discussion, reading, and writing.

Program Details:

  • July 7–25, Monday–Friday, 9 AM–2 PM
  • Activities: Seminars, lectures, debates, writing labs, guest speakers
  • Nonresidential (transportation coordinated if needed)

Jeffery Tyler Syck, Ph.D.

Program Director
(606) 218-4493

Jeffery Tyler Syck is an Assistant Professor of Politics and the founding director of the
Center for Public Service.
Dr. Syck’s academic research focuses on the development of American democracy and the
history of political ideologies. He is the editor of the forthcoming book A Republic of Virtue: The Political Essays of John Quincy Adams and is completing a second book manuscript entitled The Untold Origins of American Democracy. Dr. Syck’s essays and articles on politics, philosophy and history have appeared in a variety of publications including Law and Liberty, Persuasion and Pietas. He is also a contributing editor at Providence.
Dr. Syck received a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History from Morehead State University, where he graduated with honors. Dr. Syck is a native of Pike County, Kentucky, and is proud to work at a university his family has attended since its first
class of students.

Leo Greenberg

Undergraduate Tutor & Co-Founder
(646) 629-2747

Leo Greenberg is a senior at Yale College studying History and Philosophy. He completed Yale’s Directed Studies Humanities Intensive, leads Yale’s largest organization for politics & public speaking and has worked as a Sunday school teacher & writing tutor for high schoolers in New York City.

Brennan Columbia-Walsh

Undergraduate Tutor & Co-Founder
(973) 747-7660

Brennan Columbia-Walsh is a senior at Yale College studying Political Science and English. He graduated from Yale’s Directed Studies Humanities Intensive, helps lead Yale’s largest organization for politics & public speaking, worked for the United States Congress, and taught & mentored High School students in New Jersey.

Our syllabus begins in Ancient Athens, the first democracy known to man, and stretches through
Early Modern England, the Founding, and modern America. Our goal is not to master thinkers or
ideas, but rather to introduce students to fundamental questions present across time and place.
American political culture is our ultimate focus, but we believe that in examining that story one has
much to gain from the traditions which gave rise to it.

Week Two: The American Promise

  • Declaration of Independence
  • Constitution & Bill of Rights
  • Federalist Papers (1, 9-10, 47, 51, 70)
  • Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
TimeMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
9–10:15amLecture: DeclarationLecture: ConstitutionLecture: FederalismLecture: Democracy ChallengesDebate: Was the Revolution Revolutionary?
10:15–11:30amSeminarSeminarSeminarSeminar
11:30–12:15pmLunchLunchLunchLunchLunch
12:15–2pmSpeech LabModel UN SimulationArt DiscussionEssay LabGuest Speaker

How to Apply