What is Seminar?
Seminar is a series of discussion-based lessons centered around the challenges of today's world, from current events to social and political issues to philosophical and scientific debates. We have made the Seminar resources freely available online, with the hope that students and teachers outside of KWS will use the materials in their classes.
How did Seminar start?
Seminar was launched in 2022 as part of the curriculum at the Khan World School, an online high school founded by Sal Khan in partnership with ASU Prep at Arizona State University. At Khan World School, students gather daily to engage in Seminar, which sits at the heart of KWS as a collaborative learning experience.
Why Seminar?
Our hope is that Seminar will not only prepare students to approach real-world debates with nuance and critical thought, but also provide them with a space to contemplate the world around them and their place within it. Each Seminar lesson is based on a key question and encourages students to absorb data and information, develop a clear point of view, and engage in thoughtful dialogue with one another.
How can I use Seminar materials?
We designed Seminar for students in grades 9-12, although the materials could also be adapted for an early college-level class. We also believe the Seminar materials could be leveraged in settings for adult conversations, such as book clubs or reading groups.
Seminar was originally designed as a curriculum for a designated class at the Khan World School. However, we understand that most school schedules have limited capacity due to existing curriculum standards and requirements. We have thus provided suggestions in our teaching guide for how to incorporate Seminar into a variety of class schedules.
*Note: We have launched this website in beta and are continuously incorporating new materials and feedback from users. Check back frequently for updates!
About RISC
The Center for RISC (Radical Innovation for Social Change) is a nonprofit and social innovation lab at UChicago aimed at achieving social good by finding unconventional solutions to the world’s problems. RISC is the brainchild of Steven Levitt, professor of economics at UChicago and co-author of Freakonomics. The team at the Center for RISC partnered with the Khan World School and Arizona State University to design and write the materials for each Seminar.