Effective Fall 2026: Update to ISF Declaration process
Effective Fall 2026, the ISF Major Declaration Form will be open for submissions from weeks 5-10 of the Fall and Spring semesters. There will be no summer declaration window. Also effective Fall 2026: the final deadline to declare the ISF major is the end of Week 10 of a student’s 3rd year (6th semester for freshmen admits; 2nd semester for transfer admits). Students will receive a confirmation of declaration or other response from isf@berkeley.edu during weeks 11-12 of the semester. Additionally, the ISF MAJOR DECLARATION FORM is now a Google Form that will […]
Fall 2026 DeCal: ISF 198: Teaching Kids to Think, With (and About) Mass Media
ISF 198 001: Teaching Kids to Think, With (and About) Mass Media will be offered this semester, Fall 2026! This is an interdisciplinary critical study of the children’s media industry in a time of great change. The class will be facilitated by Channing Kennedy, a current ISF senior, student parent, kids’ comic artist, and former preschool story time Youtuber (same person). In Channing’s words: “Come yap and hear guest lecturers yap about: developmental psychology, advertising vs. membership business models, public policy regulation and deregulation, UI/UX, the practice and history of […]
Fall 2026 (NEW COURSE): ISF 110 002: Science: Foundational Texts
Explore the nature of ‘science’ and the human and structural factors that shape its practice, impact, and human drama. This course deeply reads three foundational texts: James Watson’s “The Double Helix” (1968): A first-person unfiltered memoir of DNA discovery, fame, success, and the pursuit of truth. Tracy Kidder’s “The Soul of a New Machine” (1981): A look at what it takes to invent, build, and manufacture a new mini-computer, exploring money, office politics, and ingenuity. John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood (2018): The cautionary story of Theranos, Silicon Valley start-ups, scientific fraud, […]
ISF Thesis Poster Session: Sign up to participate or attend by 5/6
The annual ISF Thesis Poster Session gives graduating students the opportunity to proudly present their senior thesis and to support their peers’ theses! This showcase will highlight the hard work ISF students put in their thesis to family and friends who may already be in town to celebrate them for commencement. When: Friday May 15, 2026 (end of finals week) 12-2PM Where: UAB (Undergraduate Academic Building)- 5th floor Please be sure to sign up (if you want to have a poster spot) or let us know you want to attend by 5/6. We’re […]
See Academic Research in Action! Attend the Inaugural ISF Symposium: The Idea of Democracy
The Inaugural ISF Symposium, “The Idea of Democracy”, will take place on Friday April 17, 2026 from 2:00-5:00 PM in Philosophy Hall room 223. Professor Daniela Cammack in Political Science, also an ISF Advisory Board member, will present “The Idea of Democracy”: Today, democracy is often defined as self-rule– the rule of all the people over themselves. But the ancient Greeks would have called modern democracy “electoral oligarchy,” meaning the rule of a few officeholders over the rest. What they meant by Demokratia was the rule of an assemble crows (demos) […]
ISF Location Change
We are excited to share news regarding the location of our ISF Program Offices. Our campus offices will be closed during spring break, March 23-27 and on Monday, March 30. During this period, the ISF Academic advisors, staff and faculty, will be working remotely. As of Tuesday, March 31, 2026, our ISF Program Offices will be located in the new Undergraduate Academic Building (UAB). Location Transition Details: Current Location: Evans Hall, Second Floor NEW Location: Undergraduate Academic Building, Fifth Floor. When you reach the 5th Floor, please consult the building map across […]
ISF Student Research Grant- Applications open!
The ISF Student Research Grant is a new and exciting opportunity to support ISF students’ senior thesis research. The ISF Student Research Grant can be used for research-related expenses to aid a student’s senior thesis, such as transportation, accommodation, and meals. It can also pay for compensation for research participants or access to archives (if not available through the UC libraries). The budget must be approved by the review committee which consists of members from the ISF Faculty Advisory Board. Award: $500 per student; three winners in the Fall and two in the Spring Eligibility: A declared ISF major at the time of application, and currently enrolled in ISF 189. Students can only receive […]
ISF Summer 2026 courses: Enroll now!
Summer 2026 course registration has begun and students from all majors can enroll in the ISF course offerings. If you are interested in the ISF major, are interested in the course topics, or if you need to satisfy L&S breadth requirements, please find more information about each course below! Session A: 6 weeks, May 26 – July 2 ISF 100A: Introduction to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis Taught by Rakesh Bhandari On campus Monday-Thursday 10a-12p Class #: 14183, 4 units Satisfies Philosophy & Values or Social & Behavioral Sciences L&S […]
Save the date! 2026 UGIS Commencement Ceremony: Monday May 18, 2-4 PM, Zellerbach Auditorium
The ceremony will be live streamed with captioning, and recorded. This ceremony is for students in the ISF, American Studies, and Media Studies who are graduating in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Summer 2026 and Fall 2026. More information will be posted as it becomes available on the Commencement page on the ISF website and on the UGIS Commencement website. We recommend students and guests bookmark these pages to easily check for updates in the Spring semester. We look forward to seeing you there!
ISF Student Association is recruiting!
Interested in getting involved for Spring 2026? Don’t miss this opportunity to be involved in the official student club for ISF, creating and fostering this special program’s community! Student leadership can have roles in: Event planning e.g. study groups, going to campus events together, socials Social media management: ISF has a pre-existing Instagram and a Slack channel) Networking with campus faculty, other students, alumni Professional development utilizing these skills and navigating campus resources as an RSO (Registered Student Organization) Interested students should send their name, EGT, # of enrolled terms, […]