Social Change: An Engaged Approach

One of my goals in my college courses over the past several years has been to embolden my students with "critical hope," which Kari M. Grain and Darren E. Lund (2016) define as the capacity to critically analyze power relations and their systemic impact, while simultaneously acting to construct a different reality. Teaching an engaged social action class strikes me as a powerful way to cultivate students' sense of agency, broaden their practical skill sets, and prepare them to become more effective change agents. I am eager to participate in this course development program, as it will provide a structured space to think through this new course while embedding me within a community of practice dedicated to transformative pedagogy.

Rather than restricting our lens to thinking about and analyzing social issues, this course utilizes an experiential learning model where students practice democratic engagement, exercise collective agency, and spearhead social change. Moving from theory to practice, student cohorts collaborate to develop and launch non-violent, real-world policy change campaigns targeting rules, laws, regulations, or institutional norms on campus or within the broader community. Student cohorts select their own campaigns, fostering a pluralistic environment that welcomes diverse viewpoints and ideologies, bounded only by the principles of non-violence and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The course advances critical skills in strategic issue development, change theory, research, group dynamics, tactical planning, and campaign implementation and evaluation. [1]

Michelle Gawerc Professor Sociology Loyola University Maryland