This year’s program takes a holistic approach to systemic change at the community level. Students will explore the roles and responsibilities of citizens in a representative democracy. We will focus on individual- and community-building practices based on literacy in humanities, social sciences, mathematics, science, media and technology. A major emphasis of this program will be the examination of how citizens effectively advocate and engage in activism to address pressing social, legal, economic and ecological problems. Students will be expected to demonstrate understanding, action and leadership in their areas of interest.

During fall quarter, students will study historical notions of leadership and strategies employed to achieve social change through activism and advocacy in institutional and non-institutional settings. Students will reflect on their personal experiences and the world around them in order to understand how they may apply the insights, knowledge and skills to promote civic engagement and foster change.

Winter's work will be based upon the foundations built in fall quarter. Students will identify, develop and explore models of advocacy and activism that have led to systemic change. They will enhance their knowledge of contemporary social movements, political interest groups, and scientific and legal advocacy. Students will work actively toward the application of this knowledge by developing collaborative action research projects.

In spring quarter, students will join theory with practice, utilizing a variety of expansive methods, from writing to media, in order to demonstrate and communicate their perceptions and findings to a wider audience. They will present their collaborative research projects to the public. The information presented will be directed toward benefiting individual and community capacity as well as communicating a wider understanding of their findings to enhance their own lives, the lives of those in their community and the world that we all share.