Lewis & Clark to Launch Two Interactive Courses in 2027
Students and community members can apply for the upcoming poetry course through October 30, 2026.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Adult Education
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Portland students and community members will gather for two interactive courses this Spring 2027, as Lewis & Clark College expands its Inside-Out Prison Exchange program. These off-campus classes pair 15 external students with 15 internal participants for collaborative humanities study.
Why it matters
The program aims to foster human connection across social and physical boundaries through shared scholarly inquiry. It offers a unique opportunity for participants to examine complex historical processes of displacement and land use directly within the neighborhoods they affect.
Each course enrolls 15 external students alongside 15 internal participants, with sessions typically running three hours. While the program began at Temple University in 1997, the exact timeline for subsequent college-wide expansion beyond these two spring offerings remains to be determined.
The players
Lewis & Clark College
A private liberal arts college that has hosted the Inside-Out Prison Exchange program since 2012.
Jerry Harp
A professor at Lewis & Clark College who will lead a poetry course at the Columbia River Correctional Institution.
Reiko Hillyer
A Lewis & Clark professor who introduced the Inside-Out program to the college and will teach a history course this spring.
Albina Vision Trust
A community partner working to restore the social and economic health of the Albina neighborhood.
The details
Lewis & Clark professors Jerry Harp and Reiko Hillyer will facilitate the courses, which utilize small-group discussion circles to analyze poetry and historical documents. Harp will lead the poetry section at the Columbia River Correctional Institution, while Hillyer partners with the Albina Vision Trust for a history course held at the North Portland Red Cross facility. Hillyer is currently developing training to help additional faculty curate similar humanities-based curriculum in the future.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: Application deadline for the poetry course.
Spring 2027: Interactive courses take place.
Beyond the Bridges
The Spring 2027 offerings follow the pedagogical model established by the 1997 founding of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program at Temple University. By scaling these efforts, Lewis & Clark College continues to integrate this national framework into local civic engagement.
Students and community members can participate in the poetry course on Fridays from 12:45 to 3:45 p.m. or the history course on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Applications for the poetry section are due by October 30, 2026.
The takeaway
The Spring 2027 courses demonstrate how shared inquiry can bridge local communities and academic institutions. Interested participants should mark October 30, 2026, as the final deadline to apply for the poetry cohort.
What happens next
Applicants interested in the poetry course must submit their materials by October 30, 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about local learning opportunities in Adult Education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Mossy Log.
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