South Carolina ’26 Institute on Teaching Social Action – Apr 18-19

We would like to invite you to apply to the South Carolina ’26 Institute on Teaching Social Action on April 18-19, 2026, hosted by the College of Charleston. Today, many college courses teach about democracy and change, but few courses provide students the opportunity to learn by doing them. The South Carolina ’26 Institute meets this need by providing faculty the necessary training to teach social action.
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​The South Carolina ’26 Institute will be hosted by Drs. Hollis France and Kris de Welde from the College of Charleston, along with Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, Professor Emeritus from San José State University, who developed a social action course in 2006, and has taught it 30 times. Checkout our website to learn more about teaching social action.
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​Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply; however, we want to restrict participation to those faculty who are committed to implementing this experiential social action course model in the 18 months following the Institute.

​Here is what Dr. Cassandra Simon, Associate Professor of Social Work from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, has to say about the training:
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​The Institute was one of the most effective uses of my time in my 30+ years in higher education. The Institute provided a structure and the tools to implement social action in an organized and meaningful way as a part of the educational experience. I left the Institute invigorated, armed with new knowledge and tools. I wondered where the Social Action Institute had been all of my higher ed life.

The application deadline is Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The South Carolina ’26 Institute will run from Saturday, April 18th, 9 am-4:30 pm, and Sunday, April 19th, 9 am-3:30 pm; breakfast and lunch will be covered during the Institute. There is no charge for the South Carolina ’26 Institute, but you are responsible for hotel and transportation. If the date doesn’t work for you, we have three other in-person Institutes scheduled in 2026 (Denver, Alabama and NYC), and a virtual Summer and Winter Institute as well.

Learn more and apply.