Oregon ‘25 Institute on Teaching Social Action at Portland State University
This two-day, in-person institute at Portland State University will introduce faculty and staff 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.
Institute Host
Sally Eck
Assistant Professor of Teaching
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department
Portland State University
CLICK HERE to submit your application (App Deadline: Monday, May 5, 2025)
Institute Participants (Accepted To Date)
Ariane Jong-Levinger
Schmid College of Science and Technology / Fowler School of Engineering
Chapman University
Jessica Perone
Center for Civic Engagement
Washington State University
Leanne Serbulo
University Studies (Interdisciplinary General Education Program)
Portland State University
Venus Ausmus
Student Activities & Leadership Programs
Portland State University
Annaka Exley
Geography and Geology
West Virginia University
Neeraja Havalig
Environmental Sciences Graduate Program
Oregon State University
Abbie Cohen
Urban Schooling
UCLA School of Education & Information Studies
Benjamin Bates
Communication Studies
Ohio University
Jackie Leung
Health, Human Performance, and Athletics
Linfield University
Molly Benitez
Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Portland State University
Tracie Meyers
SEEK
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Tozi Gutierrez
Family Studies and Human Services
Portland State University
Institute Preparation
During the two-day institute, participants will draft a syllabus and develop a teaching and a plan for supporting student campaigns which are launched mid-semester. The institute sessions will be led by Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, 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.
Application
There is no registration fee for the Portland State University Institute on Teaching Social Action. However, we want to restrict participation in the institute to those faculty, staff or students who are committed to implementing this experiential social action course model. Please note that preparing and supporting students to launch their social action campaigns generally takes at least half of the course content and assignments. Some courses are directly on social action and change, while others address a societal issue (e.g., climate change, housing, poverty, etc.) around which students develop their campaigns. From experience, the social action campaign dimension of these courses takes up roughly half of the course work (readings, assignments, and in-class teaching and group work).