This two-day, in-person institute is focused on graduate students, and will be held at the University of Michigan Detroit Center as a pre-conference before the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Conference.
The Institute will introduce graduate students, as well as interested faculty attending the AAG Conference, to an experiential learning approach for incorporating social action campaigns into either a semester-long course or co-curricular workshop series. In this transformative experiential learning model, students develop and launch a social action campaign of their choosing during the semester the course is taught. The student campaigns seek to change a rule, regulation, norm, or practice of an institution, whether on campus or in the community.
Our long-term goal is to mainstream this model for teaching active democracy. The world needs more citizens who have developed their knowledge and skills in bringing about positive change through real world experience. While not all of the student campaigns are successful, many have been and those that haven’t succeeded have still taught valuable lessons to those who led them and those who were engaged in one form or another.
Note: we ask that attendees fully participate in our community of practice by making the following commitments.
Hosts
Morgan Fett (she/her)
Ph.D. Candidate, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
University of Michigan
View profile here.
Maria Alejandra Perez
Associate Professor of Geography
West Virginia University
Read profile here.
Institute Participants
Meghan Blaze
Master of Public Policy
Portland State University
Shubhayan Ukil
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
University of Michigan
Tess Clancy
Architecture
University of Michigan
Camila Vélez Agosto
Geology and Geography
West Virginia University
Deirdre Nieves
IIAS
Western Michigan University
Elaine Hsiao
School of Peace and Conflict Studies
Kent State University
Laura Landolt
Political Science
Oakland University
Lily House-Peters
Geography
California State University, Long Beach
Mariah Caballero
Community Research and Action
Vanderbilt University
Mia Charlene White
Urban & Environmental Studies
The New School (School for Public Engagement)
Rafael Lembi
Department of Community Sustainability
Michigan State University
Tim Muhich
School for Environment and Sustianability
University of Michigan
Amber Kelly
Sociology, Public Health
Wayne State University
Aleezay Khaliq
Sociology
Loyola University Maryland
Amanda Mester
Justice Studies
University of New Orleans
Amber Anderson
Sociology
Wayne State University
Autumn Martin
Sociology
University of Louisville
Gabriel Lotarski
Sociology
Wayne State University
Jo Reger
Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice
Oakland University
Marissa Morey
Sociology
Wayne State University
Nick Espitia
Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice
Oakland University
Institute Preparation
During the two-day institute, participants will begin to draft a syllabus and develop a teaching plan to support student campaigns which are launched mid-semester.
The institute sessions will be led by Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, former Professor of Sociology at San Jose State University. We will use a flipped classroom model, where participants will be asked to prepare for sessions by reading two textbooks — CHANGE! A Student Guide to Social Action and CHANGE! A Guide to Teaching Social Action — and reaching CHANGE! A Companion Guide to Teaching Social Action. These resources cover address all aspects of teaching a social action course, including:
- An Overview of Teaching Social Action
- Organizing Your Class
- Issue Development & Choosing Campaigns
- Change Theory & Building Power
- Research & Group Dynamics
- Strategy & Tactics
- Campaign Kick-Off
- Campaign Plan & Evaluation
Participants will work with a syllabus template which includes guiding questions. We will discuss the pros and cons of revising a course to incorporate social action campaigns or develop a new course that complements an existing course, concentration, minor, major, or certificate program. We will also share the process and lessons learned from prior student campaigns. We welcome participants who want to explore developing a co-curricular social action workshop series embedded into a fellowship or co-curricular or integrated program.
Over the two-days participants will meet each day for discussions about your goals, course models, teaching approach, and sharing examples and exercises that will help you plan your social action course or workshop series.
At the conclusion of the institute, we will invite participants to join a year-long support and networking community of fellow practitioners who are teaching or learning how to teach social action using this experiential, real-world model. The Teaching Social Action Group is hosted by the Bonner Foundation on the Bonner Learning Community Platform to give faculty, staff, and students a forum for asking questions, discussing active student campaigns, sharing successes and challenges, and announcing future opportunities for training, education, and reflection.