University of Southern California

The Civic Imagination Project, based at the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California, uses the power of popular culture to increase the capacity of individuals to imagine alternatives to current social, political, or economic institutions or problems. This grant supports The Civic Imagination Project to participate in a national convening of participatory civic media organizations supported through MacArthur’s Journalism and Media program. The meeting is designed to help coalesce the emerging field of participatory civic media, of which The Civic Imagination Project is part, by facilitating new connections and collaborations and building a shared sense of identity among a new breed of media and culture organizations using participatory media to amplify historically marginalized voices and strengthen American democracy.

The School of International Relations at the University of Southern California was founded as an offshoot of the 1922 Pan-American Conference on Education that brought together chancellors and university presidents from 22 countries to discuss the importance of education and to foster international understanding. Through this award, the grantee systematically assesses states’ reasons for participating in nuclear weapons-related agreements. In addition to generating in-depth cases for comparison, the grantee develops a first-of-its kind database of nuclear treaties and states parties, which is updated in real time and accessible online for any researcher.

Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California is a private research institution enrolling more international students than any other U.S. university. This study addresses U.S. policy and grand strategy in East Asia by combining an empirical examination of East Asian defense spending with research on weapons procurement and security policy. Despite the emerging consensus that East Asian nations fear China’s rise, regional military expenditures are at a 25-year low when measured as a proportion of GDP. Through quantitative and qualitative research, structured interviews and workshops, this project examines whether low defense expenditures accurately reflect East Asian states’ security perceptions, and the extent to which defense spending might indicate sheltering under the U.S. security umbrella.

To build the field of Digital Media and Learning through a new journal, conferences, and convenings (over five years).

To research the integration of migrants in the United States.