Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Investigate digital threats and debate policy in this two-week cybersecurity, AI, and global politics summer program for high school students on UC Berkeley’s campus.
Instructor:
Course Description
A convincing fake can travel faster than the facts. Trace how a digital threat can move from a personal account into a question of national security.
In this course you will investigate cybersecurity and AI through cases, challenges, and political debate. Reconstruct a breach to find where defenses failed. Examine deepfakes and disinformation, then compare how governments use cyber capabilities, surveillance, and censorship. Learning how AI systems work helps you question both their possibilities and their risks.
Represent a country in negotiations over cyber rules, and work with a team on a one-page regulation proposal. A final crisis simulation puts you in the role of a government, technology company, journalist, or civil-society group responding to a fictional AI-driven attack. As events change, so do the decisions. The work connects technical understanding with the evidence and judgment used in politics and policy.
This two-week Summer Discovery program for high school students takes place on UC Berkeley’s campus in Berkeley, California. Residential and commuter options are available.
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Instructor Bio
Darren Zook teaches in Political Science and International and Area Studies at UC Berkeley. His research interests include human rights, comparative Asian politics, international law, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
What You Will Do
• Map your digital footprint and spot security weaknesses
• Reconstruct a cyber breach from event cards
• Examine deepfakes and misleading posts for warning signs
• Negotiate international cyber rules while representing a country
• Draft and pitch a team AI regulation proposal
• Respond to a fictional AI-driven cyber crisis
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how cybersecurity practices reduce risks in a connected world
• Compare how AI and cyber capabilities affect politics and public trust
• Support security and policy choices with evidence and ethical reasoning
You’ll leave with your team’s one-page regulation proposal and a certificate of completion.
Why Cybersecurity and AI Skills Matter
A convincing message is not always a trustworthy one. Examining cyber incidents and AI-generated media develops the habit of asking where information comes from, how it works, and what evidence supports it. Those questions matter in everyday digital choices as well as academic research.
Policy discussions add another challenge: a security measure can affect privacy, public trust, and international relationships. Explaining those trade-offs offers practice in the reasoning used in politics, technology policy, and further social-science study.
Is This Program Right For You?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
Explore the questions behind technology headlines: who controls information, how attacks happen, and what governments should do about them. Cases and role-play offer a way into the subject whether you are drawn to technology, politics, or both.
No previous knowledge of cybersecurity or AI is required. Prior coursework in politics or history is preferred.
Your Summer at UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley gives high-school students the opportunity to pursue serious academic exploration in a campus environment shaped by scientific inquiry, new ideas, and an active connection to the wider Bay Area. The Berkeley Hills, distinctive architecture, and green spaces make the experience feel different from an ordinary school routine.
Students learn alongside peers, become more independent, and experience the pace and possibility of university life. The Bay Area context adds exposure to a region influenced by research, technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and public debate. For families, the value is not campus prestige alone. It is the combination of academic depth, community, and a student gaining clearer insight into the subjects, environments, and possible directions that genuinely motivate them.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive