The Social Justice Research Academy brings students from around the world together for three weeks to dive deep into the past, present, and future of social justice. The program welcomes students with a variety of academic interests across the social sciences, humanities, and arts.

Non-credit

Residential

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

Final project

Application fee waiver

Designed to encourage discussion and critical thinking about the political, historical, and cultural context of inequality and resistance, the program welcomes students with a variety of academic interests across the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Topics vary from year to year but include a selection of significant historical struggles (the American Revolution, slavery and abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights) as well as those that define our recent past and present (climate change, immigration and refugee/asylum policy, LGBTQ rights, #BlackLivesMatter, disability studies, faith and social justice, interfaith leadership, intersectionality, affordable housing, prison reform, #MeToo, food deserts, social distancing as a privilege, access to health care, textbooks and curricular biases, anti -racism, anti-Semitism, music and civil rights, international human rights, race and popular culture). As they explore the characteristics of effective community leadership and successful movement-building, students develop leadership skills as well as research and analytical skills.

Features
Lectures and workshops: Attend daily classes and conversations led by Penn faculty and Teaching Fellows and guest lectures by experts from a range of subjects. Ask questions, debate issues, and participate in lively class discussions as you develop specialized knowledge and leadership skills. Students will have access to Penn”s Van Pelt Library and other University resources, including the program's Canvas course website for additional content and homework assignments.

We will have a Monday - Friday schedule from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST. Each day begins with the entire group meeting from 10 - 10:30 a.m. with SJRA staff and then we are joined by a guest speaker or depart for a field trip or service-learning activity. At 12 we break for lunch, followed by a small group discussion from 1:30 – 3:15 p.m., and from 3:30 – 5 p.m. we are joined by another guest speaker or depart for another field trip or service-learning activity. Other activities after 5 p.m. and on the weekends are organized by Penn Summer and Summer Discovery.

Site visits: Tour Penn's Van Pelt Library, Penn Museum, and historical and cultural landmarks in Philadelphia such as the National Constitution Center and Independence Hall, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, Chinatown as well as several virtual site visits around the US like the Jim Crow Museum, and visit nonprofit organizations for service-learning activities such as the Mural Arts Program and Philabundance.

Capstone project: Drawing from coursework and your own interests, develop a research question around program themes. Explore the answer to your research question using the University's world-class resources and guidance from teaching fellows. Capstone projects can take the form of a traditional academic paper or a creative project in the medium of your choosing and could include a project in your own community. Previous capstone projects have included:
A paper on Hollywood's portrayal of Asians in film and subsequent stereotypes
A spoken word performance surrounding gun deaths among Black men in Philadelphia
A video on redlining
A slide show about the reception of American Muslim women who wear a hijab or not
A statistical comparison of international human rights laws and violations
A graphic novel comparing sex education in China to that in the US
An immersive art installation depicting sweatshop conditions
A restaurant business plan offering job training for the homeless
police reform
How COVID-19 has disproportionately affected minority populations

Single Session

Jul 09 - Jul 29

3 weeks

Residential

9700 USD

There is a $1,500 nonrefundable deposit for all programs. There is also a nonrefundable application fee of $75, payable by credit card through our online application system.
On-campus program fees include: Use of Penn academic facilities, on-campus housing, three meals a day Monday–Friday, two meals on Sunday (no meals Saturday due to excursions/activities), extracurricular activities and trips, and student supervision.

Financial Aid

If you attend a School District of Philadelphia public or charter high school you may be eligible to attend a Penn Summer Academy free of charge with a Penn Summer Scholarship.