Civic intelligence attempts to understand how "smart" a society is in addressing the issues it faces and to think about – and initiate – practices that improve this capacity. It is an interdisciplinary area of inquiry that includes the sciences – social and otherwise – as well as the humanities. Visual art, music, and stories, are as critical to the enterprise as the ability to analyze and theorize about social and environmental issues.

This learning opportunity is designed to allow students of various knowledge and skill levels to work with a high level of autonomy on the design and implementation of real-world research and action projects. Students will collaborate via issue-oriented "clusters" with students, faculty, and others inside and beyond Evergreen. The program will help students develop important skills in organizational and workshop design, collaboration, analysis and interpretation, written and oral communication, critical thinking skills, and interpersonal skills. We also expect to focus on the development of online services, information, and tools, including civic engagement games and online deliberation.

Although there are many ways to engage in this research, all work will directly or indirectly support the work of the Civic Intelligence Research and Action Laboratory (CIRAL). These opportunities will include working with the "Home Office." The home office work will focus on developing the capacities of the lab, including engaging in research, media work, or tech development that will support the community partnerships. Other work can include direct collaboration outside the classroom, often on an ongoing basis. We are also hoping to support students who are interested in the development of online support for civic intelligence, particularly CIRAL. This includes the development of ongoing projects such as e-Liberate, a web-based tool that supports online meetings using Roberts Rules of Order, and Activist Mirror, a civic engagement game, as well as the requirements gathering and development of new capabilities for information interchange and collaboration.