This essay outlines a unique program developed at Davis & Elkins College: the First Year Symposium. Responding to concerns about the lack of civic engagement in America's youth and the call for colleges and universities to develop strategic plans for addressing democratic learning, the First Year Symposium is a required class for all baccalaureate degree-seeking students enrolled at Davis & Elkins College. The course is divided into three distinct week-long experiences during the winter term that address the acquisition of democratic knowledge, the development of skills necessary for civic engagement, and the dispositions of students toward government and the democratic process. The authors argue that the First Year Symposium has had several positive effects on the Davis & Elkins College campus, and suggest that it can serve as a model for how colleges and universities can design unique course experiences that satisfy the need for increased civic learning.