This coming January in the Klein College of Media and Communication, a Klein Global Opportunities (Klein GO) program titled “The Foundations of Democracy: Understanding the Past to Change the Future”, in collaboration with the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, will bring students to Washington, D.C. for a unique historical and political experience, and a special grant program will help support a Philadelphia-based portion of this trip. 

Campus Philly and Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND) —two organizations with missions to strengthen the Greater Philadelphia higher education community—launched an initiative called Campus250 to support programming celebrating the United States’ semiquincentennial anniversary of the country’s independence in 1776.  

With support from the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, Campus250 provides funding to regional colleges, universities and their partners to bring community-driven projects to life. Much like Klein GO’s trip to the nation’s capital, Campus250 is designed to spark collaboration, creativity and civic pride. The organization awarded Klein GO with $1,500 to go toward student transportation and experiences in Philadelphia. 

“The significance of the grant allows us to give students a more immersive experience during their days in Philadelphia,” said Gregg Feistman, professor of practice and faculty co-leader of the program. “It allows us to dive deeper into understanding the foundations of democracy and how they came to be." 

The program, taking place from January 5, 2026, to January 9, 2026, will include five days of experiential learning on the history of the United States through media and communication-based experiences in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.   

Students will understand the liberties and responsibilities that democracy demands of its citizens—and what can happen when citizens abdicate those responsibilities.  

The course will tackle topics that span American history, such as combating media bias, reducing misinformation and disinformation and examining power structures at the local, state and national levels. The students will interface with these topics directly through visits to historical sites, discussions and workshops. 

While in Philadelphia, the group will visit the Museum of the American Revolution to participate in a group workshop that explores like media and power through the lens of eighteenth-century citizens and leaders.  

“It’s a great time to start having these open-minded conversations,” said Tyler DeVice, adjunct instructor and faculty co-leader. 

A private discussion on the Constitutional Convention with a scholar from the National Constitution Center and visits to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell will also spark necessary group discussions about the juxtaposition between ideas of liberty, justice, equality and freedom and what these ideas truly meant to the nation’s founders. 

In Washington, D.C., students will attend private visits to Capitol Hill, the National Archives, and various companies and agencies headquartered in the Nation’s Capital. The experiences in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will challenge students to compare these two iconic American cities from both a historical and a present-day context.  

The students will document these experiences through a multimedia lens of their choice (photography, writing, videography, etc.). This final project will showcase democracy, power, civic engagement and history through a Klein student’s eyes. Students will showcase their original “representation of power,” which could take shape as a traditional art form, performance art, protest songs, digital content, spoken word poetry, manuscripts, websites, videos, photography or other media forms. 

The program’s creators hope to promote lifelong civic engagement and empowerment among its participants, foster discussion and learning that inspires students to create a better tomorrow for Philadelphia. 

“The mission of Klein Global Opportunities lies in opening the world up to our students,” said Hannah Braid Sugg, assistant director of Klein EDGE. “We strive to get them learning beyond the classroom, whether that be nearby in Philadelphia or outside the city limits. Programs like the ‘Foundations of Democracy’ do just this. The faculty are taking very relevant, important topics related to the work we do here in Klein College and moving them into a real-world, professional environment. Students are seeing these concepts in action and getting a hands-on learning experience directly from practitioners in these fields.”