We are committed to providing accessible, relevant, and high quality training around theories and practices of democracy to a range of audiences. This begins with Cornell students who have access to multiple course offerings, and continues on into the community, students seeking online degrees, as well as young people and students around the world through partnerships with the Community of Democracies and DemoLab Freedom Academies.

eCornell Bachelors of Professional Studies Course

With the state of civic education across the United States in decline, the CGD is collaborating with Cornell’s School of Continuing Education and eCornell to offer a new Democratic Dialogues online course for those working towards the Bachelors of Professional Studies degree. The course is accessible to students interested in every professional topic and subject, providing the opportunity to learn about democracy, key tenants of politics, rights and power, including global politics as well as American studies. We also provide a general overview of salient issues around partisanship, information consumption, and civic participation. The program is slated to begin Fall 2027.  The Democratic Dialogues course can also be customized for modules with other partnerships, dissemination channels, and training and certification programs.

Community of Democracies Certificate

CGD is partnering with the Community of Democracies’ Youth Democracy Network to provide a Professional Certificate for young leaders across the globe based on our Democratic Dialogues online course. This provides aspiring leaders with the basic theories of democracy and introduction to political institutions, grappling with political polarization and democratic backsliding, as well as relating to and summarizing information for policymakers.

Freedom Academies

In partnership with DemoLab, CGD is aiding in the development, implementation, and evaluation of Freedom Academies, an innovative response to the current, pressing challenges to democracy, shifting from old, conventional approaches to civic education that are no longer adequate in the state of freedom worldwide. The Freedom Academy certificate aims to replace apathy with individual agency, disconnection and disengagement with civic purpose, and scale a new model of civic education rooted in experiential learning and transformative pedagogy. Freedom Academy offers a novel, constructive, and peaceful approach to building and defending democracy amid the current highly polarized and volatile global disorder. The Freedom Academy Certificate aims to become a practical education tool to trigger positive shifts in an individual’s attitudes and behaviors towards democracy and civic efficacy and engagement.