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Students in USC's "Storytelling in the Digital Age" pre-college program conduct an interview for their class. Pre-college programs are one method to maximize summer break in high school.

Civic Futures Lab: Research, Dialogue and Action for the Common Good

Become a Summer Trojan and earn college credit.

Program Overview

In this studio-style course, participants examine issues like human rights, policing and safety, gun violence prevention, immigration, hate speech and climate change. Participants build the habits of civic inquiry by researching sources, weighing tradeoffs and identifying realistic pathways for local action.

The course blends academic analysis with applied practice through simulations, deliberation labs and stakeholder mapping workshops. Participants also engage USC learning spaces and community-based organizations to see how policy, education and advocacy work in practice.

The culminating portfolio may include a civic position statement, evidence brief and action reflection. The course is designed for high schoolers exploring public policy, law, journalism, education, health and environmental studies.

A student presents a slide on environmental taxes to classmates in a classroom.

Key Information

Topics of Study

Civic inquiry and public problem framing
Evidence evaluation and source credibility
Deliberation across competing viewpoints
Stakeholder mapping and systems thinking
Policy pathways and local action design
Ethical communication in public discourse

Learning Highlights

Investigate one public issue track using credible, multisource evidence
Practice structured deliberation and perspective taking
Participate in simulations and workshops that mirror civic decision making
Analyze how institutions and community organizations shape public outcomes
Develop a final civic portfolio with clear claims and supporting evidence
Strengthen writing and speaking for public audiences

Requirements

Participants must bring their own laptops
Participants should be prepared for active discussion and collaborative work
Participants may be asked to complete short, field-based observations

Week	Focus	Key Topics	Assignments and Activities
1	Human Rights	Human rights; United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals; social movements; civic action	USC Shoah Foundation guest speaker. Universal Declaration of Human Rights inquiry. Visits to Museum of Tolerance, Japanese American National Museum and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
2	Inquiry	Student-selected issues (climate change, policing, gun violence, and safety, immigration, hate speech, etc.)	Groups choose civic issues and build research plans. USC librarian workshop(s). Museum, library and archives visits. Source mapping.
3	Deliberation	Moving from polarization to possibility	USC Center for Political Futures guest speaker. Civic statement drafting. Evidence cards.
4	Action and Reflection	Informed civic action; reflection	Annenberg Critical Media project guest speaker. Portfolio showcase, presentations and reflection on civic futures.

I’ve attended several other summer programs … [that] don’t even compare to the time I had at USC. The people I met and the places I visited will be core memories forever. You should apply to make connections with people from all over the world and have a unique, informative experience on an amazing campus.

— Clara C., Ohio, USC Summer Program 2022