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Isabel EpistelomogiA IT second year student at USC Viterbi engineering school and research assistant at Institute of Information Sciences (ISI), should present SXSW Edu 2025—The component centered on the education of the famous SXSW festival – place from March 3 to 6 in Austin, Texas.
As vice-president of research and analysis in education in Institute of young people in politics (YIP) – A non -profit organization dedicated to the promotion of civic engagement among young people – Epistelomogi will share its research on the reduction of political polarization thanks to civic education based on discourse.
Its session, Civics by students, for students: depolarizing through speechwas selected from more than 1,400 proposals thanks to a highly competitive process involving more than 43,000 community votes and selection of advisory advice by industry chiefs. The session will highlight the way in which learning based on students led by students can fill political divisions and promote civic engagement. He is based on his research, which show that when students engage in a structured political discourse, they not only develop a deeper understanding of complex questions but also become less polarized in their thoughts.
An approach to polarization focused on research
To Isi, Epistelomogi studies political discourse and polarization Emilio FerraraIT teacher at USC Viterbi engineering schoolCommunication teacher at the USC and research team leader at ISI. In Ferrara Human laboratoryShe analyzes how the ideology divides training and propagating on social media platforms like Tiktok, exploring how political stories evolve in online spaces and providing an overview of the mechanisms that stimulate polarization.
“In ISI, I learned to approach polarization using both calculation methods and the prospects of the social sciences, which has shaped how I think of these problems,” said Epistelomogi, a curve purse in the First cycle research center in the Viterbi engineering program (Curve). Curve offers Viterbi undergraduate students an early research experience, mentoring and professional development to prepare them for careers in engineering and computer science.
Although her YIP research has been carried out separately, his experiences in Isii gave her new perspectives on polarization – inspectors who shape her approach to the problems she presents in Sxsw Edu.
Bring data to civic education
“We were motivated by our personal experiences to see polarization in our communities,” said Epistelomogi, reflecting on what led him to study this subject.
In October 2024, Epistelomogi co-wrote a study published in The Journal of Advanced Research in Social SciencesAnalyze how structured debates influence the students’ ability to engage in civtically and understand opposite points of view. As part of the YIP Department of Education, a student team over 50 dedicated to the promotion of civic engagement thanks to education and speech, she helped develop a non -partisan civic program of more than 500 pages, to organize student workshops and to contribute to research revised by peers on the impact of structured debates.
The YIP study program, which has reached more than 500 students on a national level, encourages debate on controversial political issues – a difference in traditional civic education, which often avoids controversial subjects. Its results will be shared with educators, political decision -makers and opinion leaders at SXSW Edu, offering a new approach to teaching civic in a divided political climate. “This is an opportunity to show how students can be leaders to change the way we talk about politics,” said Epistelomogi.
What is the next step?
Epistelomogi hopes that his presentation to SXSW Edu will not only share key results, but will also arouse new conversations on the role of discourse in civic education. “As the first author of the study, I am particularly delighted to share our results and practical applications in Sxsw Edu,” she said.
Now in his 15th year, SXSW Edu presents pressing social problems through the objective of education. The conference brings together educators, students and industry leaders to exchange ideas, explore new solutions and reinvent the future of learning.
In the future, the YIP Department of Education aims to extend the scope of its study program, to collect more data on its effectiveness and to refine its approach according to the comments of students and educators. Meanwhile, Epistelomogi’s work in ISI continues to explore how online political discourse shapes public opinion, and it examines how the calculation methods it learns in ISI could be integrated into future research on civic education based on discourse.
By combining information in both areas, she hopes to develop new strategies to reduce online and class polarization.
Posted on March 3, 2025
Last update on March 3, 2025