Immerse Yourself in Sustainability
The Wrigley Institute Julymester is a unique chance to help the planet while connecting with like-minded peers around the theme of Sustainability!
Earn a semester’s credit in just four weeks as you explore solutions for sustainability as it intersects with our planet’s key systems: water, soil, air, and energy. All courses and activities take place in our unique, interdisciplinary learning environment at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island.
Applications for Julymester 2025 are now open.
Application Deadline: April 16, 2025 at 11:59 P.M PT
Julymester 2025 Dates: Monday, July 14, 2025 – Friday, August 8, 2025
How it Works
All students who enroll in one of our designated Julymester courses complete an immersive living-learning experience on Catalina Island. In addition to participating in their core classes, students engage in interdisciplinary activities designed for the whole group. Opportunities include problem-solving sessions, field research, recreation, and special events designed to train students in environmental leadership.
For more information about Julymester generally, read our FAQ, or contact Hannah Maryanski Kiszla (maryansk@usc.edu). For information about the types of courses offered through Julymester, see the Julymester 2025 course list at the bottom of this page as an example.
Julymester Courses
Julymester 2025 is open for registration. See the course descriptions below for information on the types of learning opportunities available through this program. Most courses repeat each year, and students earn a full semester of course credit for one month of study.
Dates: Monday, July 14, 2025 – Friday, August 8, 2025
Cost: Julymester courses are 4 units and are part of the fall semester course load/tuition. Tuition is charged for this program at the unit rate for the semester up until the 18-unit block is reached (if you enroll in more than 18 units, you will be charged for the extra tuition cost). Most financial aid is transferable to Julymesters. However, each student is highly encouraged to reach out directly to the USC Financial Aid Office to confirm their package details.
-
Instructor: Scott Applebaum (sappleba@usc.edu)
Both water and soil are integral to human livelihood, and both are currently under threat. This class presents an overview of the issues related to water and soil sustainability including soil development and management, the hydrologic cycle, the cycling of nutrients through both soil and water, soil and water pollution, and food security related to soil and water issues.
-
Instructor: Andres Sanchez (sanchez.a@usc.edu)
Everyone who considers themselves an environmentalist has opinions on which sources of energy are “bad” and which are “good,” but what does that mean? How are these forms of energy harnessed by people, especially in the U.S., and how exactly are they good or bad? This course explores those questions, considering “cradle-to-grave” issues ranging from extraction of energy resources from the environment to pollution from emissions and disposal of wastes.
-
Instructor: Katharine Ogle (kathario@usc.edu)
This course is designed to immerse students in the practice and discussion of creative writing in a marine context. For four weeks, we will live and write on Catalina Island. Classwork includes but is not limited to: whale-watching, tidepooling, poetry recitations, guest lectures from professional scientists and poets, film screenings, workshops, and generative writing exercises. We spend about half of our time “in the field,” gathering observations and notes for our creative work, and the other half discussing craft, process, and product. Readings are designed to supplement our writing practice by generating questions about the interdisciplinary capacity of language and written work as it relates to marine science, ethics, environmental conservation, and art.