Text-based promotional graphic for Columbia Summer Institute for Dialogue & Civic Practice, with a quote: 'We equip high school students with today's dialogue skills for college.'

APPLICATIONS
OPEN

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Advanced Dialogue and Research Course
â–¹ July 5-16, 2027 (Session 1)
â–¹ July 26 - August 6, 2027 (Session 2)

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APPLY HERE
APPLY HERE

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Why Dialogue?

A group of people sitting around a dining table engaged in conversation in a well-lit room with large windows. Some individuals are eating, chatting, or listening, with others in the background.

Today, students' ability to navigate disagreement and demonstrate dialogue skills is a critical college competency. Many selective universities prioritize high school applicants who can bridge differences, lead difficult conversations, and contribute to pluralistic academic communities. 

The Columbia Summer Institute for Dialogue and Civic Practice prepares high school students to meet these demands by equipping them with rigorous, practice-based dialogue skills grounded in real campus experience. Before entering college.

Why Columbia?

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Across the US, colleges have struggled with polarization and conflict. At Columbia, we responded with the Listening Tables, a face-to-face dialogue initiative that builds trust through genuine listening and structured conversation. Our high school program is rooted in this work and builds on a simple but powerful formula: students practice dialogue through in-person exercises and class activities—without social media, AI, or screens —to build understanding across difference.

What Students Gain

Our high school program offers students tools to develop a comprehensive skill set in listening and dialogue, taught by Columbia faculty. Students acquire:

• Understand the research and theories that explain how dialogue, disagreement, and polarization work.

• Build practical skills to discuss complex civic and social issues across differences.

• Design, conduct, and write up an independent research project using qualitative methods and present findings to a broader audience.

We are Now Accepting Applications for our Advanced Dialogue and Research Courses in Summer 2027.

Learn more about...

Program Offeringsâ–¹

Application and Tuitionâ–¹

Our Expertiseâ–¹

FAQsâ–¹

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Our Dialogue Work in the News

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Questions About Our Program? Contact Us!

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