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1E — Overcoming Challenges of Teaching Social Action
1E — Overcoming Challenges of Teaching Social Action

1E — Overcoming Challenges of Teaching Social Action

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Introduction

Chapter 1 — Overview

A — Social Action's Role in U.S. Experiment in Democracy B — US College Social Action C — Benefits of Social Action for Students Campuses, and Society D — The Vision: Bringing Social Action into the Classroom E — Overcoming Challenges of Teaching Social Action

Chapter 2 — Developing a Social Action Class

A — Academic Course vs Co-Curricular / B — Prerequisites  C — Creating a Social Action Syllabus D — Teaching Style / E — Classroom Norms F — The Students G — Building Campus Allies and Community Partners H —The Role of Place / I —Each Semester vs Every Year (or Other Year) J — Maintaining Momentum

Chapter 3 — Launching Student Campaigns

A — On Your Mark: Preparing Students for the Road Ahead B — Students Choose Their Issue - GO! C — Group Dynamics, part 1-Setting the Tone (Get Set) D — Change Theory E — Building Power F — Social Action Campus Tour G — Research: Historical Overview, Power Mapping, & Target Analysis H — Group Dynamics, part 2 I — Strategy & Tactics J — Campaign Kickoff

Chapter 4 — Campaign Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

A — Timeline & Campaign Plan B — Campaign Implementation: "Series of Actions" Begins C — Campaign Execution & Case Studies D — Campaign Evaluation E — Day of the Final: Campaign Notebook & Group Presentation

Chapter 5 — Where to Go From Here

A — Next Semester B — Mainstreaming Social Action C — Social Action Internship Program D — Pipeline to Jobs & Graduate School E — Status of Current Campaigns F — Impact of Social Action on Former Social Action Students

CHANGE! A Guide to Teaching Social Action

  • Chapter 1E: Overcoming the Challenges of Teaching Social Action (p. 21-23)

Discussion

One of the biggest challenges is that you might feel that Administrators will retaliate against you for teaching a course using social action.

Both CHANGE books discuss that social action is well-within your rights as a professor to conduct your classroom, and that you can ensure that students understand our perspective on no political indoctrination.  In addition, here are some other ideas to reduce the possibility of retaliation:

  • Send to the Chair/Dean the demands and target for the student campaigns for the semester.
  • Articulate to both the students and Administrators that the students choose campaigns, and they can change campaigns at any time.
  • Explain to the Administration that Business programs send their students to work on real-life solutions.

If not tenured, you might consider having your students do all of the campaigns off campus with a community organization, where they create a "student-wing" of the campaign.

Another good idea is to develop allies, both on campus with various Administrators and off campus with local politicians who have a connection to the University. They can defend your work if necessary.

Sample Documents

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Campaign Guideline Statement

from Ben Little, University of East Anglia for his social action course.

Rules:

  1. The campaigns must be completely non-violent in deed and in word. This is self-explanatory, but it means we do not harass, harangue or verbally attack targets (I would hope physically goes without saying!). We approach them in their roles and do not use publicly available information to target them personally.
  2. Your campaign actions must be legal. We wont rule out confrontational activities – such as marches, demonstrations etc – but where we do them, we do it with permission and forewarning.
  3. Your campaigns must align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  4. Your campaigns must address at least one of UN Sustainable Development goals.
  5. Where an activity is research rather than campaigning, you must have ethics permission. Limited blanket permissions are already in place (see appendix one for letter to send to role holders for initial research conversations)
  6. Activities must be SAFE – anything beyond meeting and talking to people will need at least a basic risk assessment.
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Sample letter to Administration
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How “Change! A Student Guide to Social Action” is compliant with Ohio legislation SB1

In August of 2025, Marsita Ferguson at Baldwin State University in Ohio shared a letter she wrote to the Administration on how CHANGE! A Student Guide to Social Action was compliant with SB 1, and the University agreed.

Course Development Questions

  1. How comfortable/uncomfortable are with you teaching social action?
  2. What is your response to how the book explains dealing with "the political dimension" of social action?
  3. How do you think your campus Administration will respond to social action?