What potential does the law hold to bring about transformative social change in today’s society? Relatedly, what strategies and approaches have social movement activists utilized to engage public interest lawyers and the broader legal system?

We will answer these questions through case studies of various 20th and 21st century social movements including the Civil Rights, immigrant rights, LGTBQ+ rights, and Environmental Justice movements. [click to learn more]

Maya Moore. John Carlos. Colin Kaepernick. Billie Jean King. Muhammad Ali. Megan Rapinoe. Francois Pienaar. LeBron James. Some of these names we know. Others have gone less noticed or unacknowledged. All are case studies in leadership in sports and social change.

Refusing to “just shut up and dribble,” more and more athletes are stepping off the court, the field or the pitch to leverage their voices and platforms to push for social change. [click to learn more]

Do you enjoy making meaningful art, being creative, and being part of an engaged and caring community? This course will provide an opportunity for students to cultivate a creative practice; to engage in dialogue about the potential for art to be a catalyst for social change, and to build a critical toolbox of resources and experiences to strengthen individual and collaborative art-making. Experienced and novice art makers, musicians, dancers, poets, and multimedia creators will find new ways to channel their creative energies into an Action Plan with community impact. [click to learn more]

The COVID-19 global pandemic tracks the fault lines of inequality—and this is not by accident. Nor is it coincidence that the pandemic has fueled the Movement for Black Lives with solidarity from all corners of the globe. The correlation between infections and racial and economic inequalities has played out time and time again throughout history, as TB, HIV, Ebola, and cholera have shown. Far from being an equalizer, COVID-19 has amplified pre-existing structural inequities tied to race, class and geography which increase risk for disease and are associated with decreased access to the health care in the US and globally. [click to learn more]

Scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, and emerging technologies have a major impact on our everyday lives in the 21st century. They provide new insight into our complex world and address a range of global needs and problems. Few pre-college students are exposed to cutting edge research that will likely lead to the future of science, technology and medicine. In this course, students will learn about some of these emerging topics: epigenetics, tissue engineering, cloning, genetic engineering, stem cell research, and medical devices. [click to learn more]

Each year, environmental crises proliferate: fires threatening wildlife and homes in Australia and the United States, an unprecedented number of hurricanes in the Caribbean and devastating typhoons in East Asia, rising seas, destructive resource extraction, and global disease outbreaks. These problems are not solely environmental but the result of complex interactions between society and the environment. Using seven global environmental problems as focal points, this course will delve into how societies created environmental problems and how social inequalities influence who is impacted by their effects. [click to learn more]

Conflict is universal. We encounter it in our daily lives with friends, family-members, classmates and co-workers; in our communities between different interest and identity groups; and at the global level between state or non-state actors. Good leadership is essential at any and all of these levels to ensure that conflicts are dealt with constructively rather than destructively, to ensure that the potential for social change and positive transformation that exists in conflict is realized, rather than lost in the infliction of physical violence or other forms of harm. [click to learn more]

Human rights violations are rampant and can be found across the world: from the killings of unarmed black men in the United States, to the suppression of LGBTQ+ people in Russia, to the detainment of Turkic Muslims in China. As we learn about such violations in our own communities and beyond, we face the question: how can we identify and effectively oppose them? Students learn about the theory and practice of human rights, engage with multiple case studies of the violation and effective defense of human rights, and develop an Action Plan to address a violation of human rights in their own community. [click to learn more]

What promise does the law have in generating social justice? What explains why the substantive meaning of the law changes over time and how does it happen, exactly? In this course, students will assess the role and record of the U.S. Supreme Court in transforming collective ideals of justice for social groups in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will analyze the ways political activists and social movements have organized, strategized, and engaged with the legal system and judiciary to enact social justice goals and values. [click to learn more]

Science and digital technologies have catalyzed often-overlooked revolutions in our day-to-day lives. From the development of the smart phone, to the atomic bomb, to antiretroviral drugs, the social landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries has been shaped by technological, medical, and scientific advancements. And, in the wake of these new breakthroughs, a host of philosophical, legal, and political questions have inevitably followed.

This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of Science, Technology, and Society. [click to learn more]

Now more than ever we are compelled to step into leadership roles to address the pressing issues within our communities, nations, and the world. Leadership and Social Change is a course designed to support students in developing their capacity for strong leadership through skill development and theoretical understanding.

This course will examine a variety of modes of social change, including direct service, community organizing, philanthropy, electoral politics, and legislative/legal advocacy and will explore how each can play a critical role in moving us toward a more just society. [click to learn more]

Every child living in America is legally guaranteed equal access to a free public education, and equal opportunity once enrolled. When the neighborhood where a student lives, their race, their primary spoken language, their (dis)abilities, and their socioeconomic class influence, if not dictate, where the student attends school, and the type and quality of education they receive, educational access cannot be considered equal. [click to learn more]

Social entrepreneurship/enterprise is a rapidly growing field which utilizes an entrepreneurial approach to address social needs and create positive change. Companies such as Patagonia, 4ocean and Warby Parker epitomize strong and sustainable organizations which are creating both social and financial value. 

This course will provide students with an overview of this evolving field and explore critical aspects of justice-informed leadership.

This course will help students understand how social entrepreneurs drive innovation and transformation in fields such as health, education, and the environment while considering community needs.  Students will examine the opportunities and challenges associated with a variety of types of social enterprises, including social purpose businesses, nonprofits, and revenue generating enterprises. [click to learn more]

Despite the advancement of women in society over the past century, in recent years, local, national and global movements and activists have courageously stepped forward to expose the pervasive challenges and unique barriers women continue to face in educational, career, social and political arenas.

In this course, students will:
(1) analyze the historical and social constructions of gender in order to understand the connections between leadership gaps and gender-based exclusion,
(2) explore intersectional, intercultural, and global factors that influence women’s leadership styles in order to reimagine more expansive and inclusive forms of leadership,
(3) examine emerging and transformative girls’ and women’s movements that have galvanized a new wave of female activism, and
(4) propose strategies to facilitate inclusion and social justice for women.
Through an interdisciplinary focus on readings, case studies and guest speakers, this course provides a broad introduction to the study of women in leadership. [click to learn more]

In our current world, the want to help is often followed with a feeling of uncertainty. How can you channel your unique perspective and talents into making a compassionate difference for the health and well-being of yourself and your communities?

In this course, students will have the opportunity to train in Compassionate Creativity: an innovative practice that facilitates integrating artistic expression with mindfulness in order to lead a healthy, socially responsible life and career. [click to learn more]