Welcome!

CALIS is an outreach project of the School of International Relations dedicated to advancing teaching excellence in international studies.

Through our service-learning programs, USC students team-teach in local high schools and act as a driving force for academic innovation and socially relevant scholarship.  As USC teams teach locally, CALIS is better able to reach globally to provide effective strategies and materials in international studies.

Excellent teaching is measured by real learning... of relevant content and rigorous skills.  Along with "meaningful study for a global age", we seek to impact college readiness and to help close the achievement gap.

Our mission

Promote curriculum reform in social science education: develop classroom materials and outreach programs that directly engage students in high level analysis that prepares them to think critically about personal and policy choices in an increasingly globalized world

Our focus

Tackle complexity and controversy with depth and accountability by using analytical tools and case teaching

Our process

Bring together USC students and faculty with teachers and their students, working directly with students in local classrooms and involving them on campus

Our commitment

Make our resources and services accessible - locally and globally - to those who share the vision of a new paradigm in teaching and learning about the human condition

In this effort, CALIS has established a set of fully integrated programs:

1) undergraduate outreach to local high schools - over 200 USC students team-teach a series of 4 class sessions in over 80 classrooms each year

2) high school student programs - the Arsalyn Policy Seminar is an annual series based on teacher partnerships and USC student mentors.

3) teacher training and collaboration - workshops and seminars to build partnerships in curriculum reform

4) curriculum development - lessons, activities and course maps that apply analytical tools and case teaching, and are available free on our Activities Database to support our local programs and to promote change in teaching the social sciences

5) teacher leadership - collaborative support for partner teachers to present strategies and materials at state and national conferences