Civics Literacy

How to complete the civics literacy requirement

Students must choose either Option 1 or Option 2. Once the chosen option has been completed (all steps for the option must be completed successfully), a milestone will be added to the student’s transcript indicating that the requirement has been satisfied.

Step 1

Students must successfully complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement.

Step 2

Students must pass a short quiz for each podcast with a grade of 80% or higher (or answer at least 40 out of 50 questions correctly). These quizzes should be completed after each podcast.

Step 3

Students must pass the knowledge test, which covers topics about American history and government. This step may be completed before, during, or after the first two steps. For more information about the test, please see FAQs below.

FAQs

The civics literacy requirement applies to IU Indianapolis undergraduate teach-out students pursuing a Purdue degree. This includes students pursuing Purdue degrees in one of the following degree programs:

  • Biology, B.A., B.S.
  • Biology Teaching, B.A.
  • Biotechnology, B.S.
  • Chemistry, B.A., B.S.Ch.
  • Chemistry Teaching, B.A.
  • Forensic & Investigative Sciences, B.S.
  • Interdisciplinary Studies, B.S.
  • Mathematics, B.S.
  • Mathematics Teaching, B.S.
  • Neuroscience, B.S.
  • Physics, B.S.
  • Physics Teaching, B.S.
  • Psychology, B.A., B.S.

If you are seeking a certificate or minor ONLY in a Purdue program, you do not have to complete this requirement.

This requirement begins with students whose first semester at IU Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI) was fall 2022 or later. Students attending prior to that date are not required to satisfy this requirement, but may choose to complete it and receive the notation on their transcript if they wish.

At the beginning of each semester, undergraduate students in Purdue programs will be automatically enrolled in the Canvas site that provides access to the podcasts. If you have enrolled, you should see the “Purdue Civics Literacy” course showing in your Canvas dashboard.

If you do not see this course showing up automatically—for example, if you have recently changed your major into a Purdue program, and the change happened after students were auto-enrolled for the semester—you can self-enroll in the course.

Enroll in the civics literacy course

Undergraduate students who are not in Purdue programs but are interested in gaining this milestone may also self-enroll using the link.

Each of the 12 podcasts may be found in a module consisting of a podcast and associated quiz. Students must listen to all podcasts and pass each quiz with a score of 80% or higher (or answer at least 40 out of 50 questions correctly) to satisfy the podcast requirement. Quizzes can be taken more than once. There is no cost for the podcasts or quizzes.

The knowledge test is a proctored test and may be taken as many times as needed to achieve successful completion (or a score of 80% or higher). Please note that students may only take the test once in a given day. A retake must be scheduled for a later date. There is no cost for taking the knowledge test.

IU Indianapolis teach-out students

The knowledge test must be taken through the IU Indianapolis Testing Center and may be scheduled with the link below.

Schedule a knowledge test

 

No. The knowledge test may be taken before, during, or after completing an approved course (in Option 1) or the podcast series and quizzes (in Option 2).

No. The knowledge test is free and may be taken as many times as needed (with a limit of once per day). Any retakes must be scheduled with the IU Indianapolis Testing Center.

The Purdue Civics Literacy Proficiency homepage includes links to resources, including a study and resource guide and sample questions from the civics literacy knowledge test.

At this time, the civics literacy milestone is only available to IU Indianapolis teach-out students who are pursuing a Purdue degree.

Still have questions?

If you still have questions about the civics literacy requirement, please contact your academic advisor.