Becoming an Agent of Social Change

How best to equip students with a sense of agency in the face of intertwined environmental and other crises is increasingly the question in my teaching. Research on climate and affect tell us that developing agency is the best way to stave off eco-anxiety. That means more than "hope" and "solutions," but rather helping students find meaning and become agents of change themselves.

In this module, we will aim to develop our understanding of what the energy transition and climate action might look like and how we all might play a role in them. In order to do so, we will aim to understand the social and political dimensions of energy and climate change, how social change works, and—most importantly—how to effect that social change ourselves and with others. Students will write a "story of self" and practice using other tools developed by organizers and activists to build community and move people to action.

Learning and unlearning objectives: By the end of this course, students should:

• Recognize the many ways in which energy transitions and climate action—and inaction—are about power and politics ("political" does not refer to political parties or elections, but rather competition between competing groups or individuals for power and leadership)
• Understand how they can contribute to social change as individuals, as well as the limits of such an approach and the need for collective action on climate change
• Develop a personal foundation for being an agent of social change, by inventorying their own skills for activism, understanding the emotional dimensions of climate action, and telling stories about energy transitions and climate action that motivate people to take action.

Eleanor (Ellie) Andrews

Postdoctoral Fellow

Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Colorado School of Mines (until April 2026; currently unaffiliated)