Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I am very interested in incorporating the principles of social action into my freshman seminar on individual/NGO advocacy on global issues. I use individuals like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai as examples of youth who have engaged in global issues locally and then on the world stage and ask students to assess their role and impact using theoretical lenses from International Relations. In the course, students choose an NGO working on a global issue to research and assess. A final essay assignment asks them to propose a new project or NGO based on what they learned by studying successful strategies and campaigns. I would love to incorporate or adapt the elements of social action into the course and assignments (how they could design a social action campaign to engage with these larger global issues locally).
Course Description:
You are the next generation of global change agents! This course will examine challenges on today's international agenda and opportunities for individuals to effect change in a complicated and interconnected world. We will analyze individuals and other non-state actors working across a range of international issues who have made an impact addressing global problems: people who have changed the world. By exploring a variety of sources (e.g., biographies, documentaries, inter-governmental reports, fiction, journal articles) we will examine the strategies they used and the success or impact of their efforts. What lessons can we learn about how an individual like you can help solve today's pressing international problems? [1]
Taught By:
Amy Gardner
Adjunct
College Core (First Year Seminar program)
The College of New Jersey
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