Motivation to Teach Social Action:
The course development program is interesting because I am on the teaching track and 80% of my annual review is based on teaching. I routinely teach multiple courses and work with hundreds of students a semester. I also teach about 10 courses a year at my institution. I recognize the value of effective organizing in a course that imparts content knowledge, and more importantly, has real life application. It may be due to the nature of my discipline or my personality, but comprehension of conceptual and theoretical frameworks has no value if students cannot make the connection of those frameworks to the real world examples. Interacting with students can feel stale over time; teaching the latest technological innovations and maximizing student learning outcomes (that results in student success) is always of interest to me.
Course Description:
According to the former U.S. Surgeon General (2023) and the World Health Organization (2025), we are living in a social isolation and loneliness epidemic. The impact of loneliness and social isolation on the individual, community, and societal level affects our physical, mental, and social well-being to a stronger degree than ever before. While loneliness gained widespread attention in the public discourse during and following the COVID pandemic, many social groups reported feeling lonely in the decades leading up to 2020; unfortunately, the topic of loneliness is not novel or new.
This course identifies the topics of loneliness and social isolation (distinguishing between the two concepts), explores the current measurements and trends of loneliness among older adults, investigates the reasons why people are lonely, addresses the consequences of loneliness on our health and well being, and presents policy suggestions to reduce the experience and burden of loneliness among older adults and communities.
Taught By:
Megan Smith
Assistant Teaching Professor
Sociology
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Read profile here.