Led by Institute director Lois Holzman, The International Class is a unique study and training program in cultural and creative approaches to human development and learning. The program focuses on social therapeutics, a philosophically informed, practically oriented method in which human beings are related to as creators of their culture and ensemble performers of their lives.
The performatory approach of social therapeutics allows people to experience life in new ways other than how we’ve been socialized,and to organize environments for group creativity to flourish in unforeseen developmental ways. Utilized in diverse mental health, educational, youth development and community organizing settings in the US and internationally, social therapeutics has influenced both the postmodern and the cultural-historical activity theory movements in psychology, psychotherapy, education and community and organizational development.
The ten-month program combines residencies in New York City and seminars, supervision and project development sessions conducted online. Students come together to work with Institute faculty and others in a broad development community and advance their own programs and research.
Residencies. The International Class meets at the Institute three times during the year (in October, February and June) to work together as a group with Institute faculty and associates at The Social Therapy Group, The All Stars Project, Performance of a Lifetime, and Independentvoting.org.
At Home. In between residencies, students study the social therapeutic method at home. Learning formats include on-line seminars and Skype calls with faculty.
Seminar and Workshop Topics for Online Study and In-Person Residencies include:
  • The Politics, Philosophy and Psychology of Social Therapeutics
  • The Postmodernizing of Marx, Vygotsky and Wittgenstein
  • Social Therapy as Clinical Practice
  • Breakthroughs in Youth Development
  • Performance Activism
  • Play, Performance, Learning and Development
  • Improvisation and Theater
  • Community Organizing
  • Independent Fundraising for NGOs
For application information, tuition requirements and scholarship information, see HERE.