2A & 2B — Course vs. Co-Curricular & Prerequisites

Introduction

Chapter 1 — Social Action: An Overview

A & B —Social Action’s Role & US College Social Action

C & D — Benefits & Bring It Into Class

E — Overcoming Challenges

Chapter 2 — Developing a Social Action Class

A & B — Course vs Co-Curricular & Prerequisites 

C — Creating a Social Action Syllabus

D & E — Teaching Style & Norms

F — The Students

G — Building Allies

H & I — Role of Place & Each Semester v Every Year

J — Maintaining Momentum

Chapter 3 — Launching Student Campaigns

A — On Your Mark

B — Students Choose Their Issue

C — Group Dynamics, part 1

D — Change Theory

E — Building Power

F — Social Action Campus Tour

G — Research

H — Group Dynamics, part 2

I — Strategy & Tactics

J — Campaign Kickoff

Chapter 4 — Planning, Implementation, & Evaluation

A — Campaign Plan & Timeline B & C — Implementation & Execution D — Campaign Evaluation E — Finals: Binder & Presentation

Chapter 5 — Where Do We Go From Here?

A & B — Next Semester & Mainstreaming TSA C & D — Internships & Pipeline to Jobs E — Status of Current Campaigns

CHANGE! A Guide to Teaching Social Action

• Chapter 2A: Academic Course vs Co-Curricular (p. 29-31)
• Chapter 2B: Prerequisites (p. 32)

Academic Course vs. Co-Curricular

If you know you will be using social action in an existing course that is already on the books, your biggest challenge with be that one-half of the previous course material and course time will have to be removed and replaced with social action (e.g., issue development, building power, tactics, and campaign launch & implementation). What course material is most essential for you to keep?

If you are creating a new class, take a look at page 29-31 of the CHANGE book about creative ways to get your course on the books. If you are a staff member or student, you can possibly teach a course or co-curricular activity as well.

Prerequisites

You will need to consider if your social action course needs to have any prerequisites. Scott’s social action course was an upper division course, but he granted entry to a 1st year student if he felt that they could handle the material, as he wanted to include all students who were interested.

The Teaching Social Action community has had several good discussions on whether a social action course should be at the beginning of a students academic career or near the end. Some feel that students get the most out of it if they have three more years to apply their learning on campus, while others feel that it is better for upper division students to take a social action course, as they have more knowledge of the campus and society.

Question:

What prerequisites will your class have, if any?