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 — Using Mural Board (option)
Chapter 3 — Launching Student Campaigns
A — On Your Mark: Preparing Students for the Road Ahead B — Go! Students Choose Their Issue C — Get Set: Setting the Tone D — Change Theory E — Building Power F — Walking Tour G — Research: Historical Overview, Power Mapping, & Target Analysis H — Group Dynamics 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
Read 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.
Watch Video Clip
Reflect on Course Development Questions
- How comfortable/uncomfortable are with you teaching social action?
- What is your response to how the book explains dealing with "the political dimension" of social action?
- How do you think your campus Administration will respond to social action?