How to Change the World

About this course: How can we use the things we share in common to address some of the most challenging problems facing the world? This course examines issues concerning poverty, the environment, technology, health care, gender, education and activism to help us understand better how to initiate positive change.

Created by:  Wesleyan University

• Taught by:  Michael S. Roth

Level Beginner Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from your peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

Wesleyan University At Wesleyan, distinguished scholar-teachers work closely with students, taking advantage of fluidity among disciplines to explore the world with a variety of tools. The university seeks to build a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who think critically and creatively and who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


What are Social Goods? From the Commons to Moral Revolutions
Discussion about what our social good is, how we define it and how it can be sustainably used.


7 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Introduction: Social Good and Tragedy of the Commons
2. Video: Genealogy of the Idea of Social Good
3. Video: Reciprocity and Giving Back to the Commons
4. Video: From Legitimate Communal Regulation to Pressures for Exploitation
5. Video: Fisheries Forests and Sustainable Productivity
6. Video: Cultures of Trust and Reinforcing the Commons by Practicing Cooperation
7. Video: From Copyright to Communities of Cooperative Practice
8. Reading: Recommended Readings

Graded: What are social goods? What is the commons?

WEEK 2


Poverty and Development



Discussion about poverty and the relationship of poverty to philanthropy and to foreign aid, actions taken to mitigate the effects of poverty, of major theorists and economists working in this area and , also, a new approach to this subject through randomized experimentation.


7 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Extreme Poverty – Introduction
2. Video: Varieties of Poverty and Development
3. Video: Listening to the Poor to Find Out What Works
4. Video: Multi-Pronged Effort: Private Enterprise, Government and Inclusive Growth
5. Video: Systematic Efforts to Find Out What Works Best
6. Video: Breaking out of Cycles of Suffering
7. Video: Inclusive Economic Growth and a Global Movement to End Poverty
8. Reading: Recommended Readings

Graded: Poverty and Prosperity

WEEK 3


Climate Change and Sustainability
Discussion about political and economic ramifications of climate change, including how to think big about sustainability


9 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Climate Change and Sustainability
2. Video: Global Challenges and Local Responses
3. Video: Making a Difference and Varied Challenges
4. Video: Grassroots Politics and Climate Change (1)
5. Video: Politics and the Disruption of Ecosystems
6. Video: Conversation with a Climate Economist on Risk Management
7. Video: Risk, Assessment and Reducing Likelihood of Disaster
8. Video: Conversation on Energy, Sustainability and Solution Science
9. Video: Solution Science and What We Can Do
10. Reading: Recommended Readings

Graded: Climate Change and Sustainability

WEEK 4


Disease and Global Health Care
Discussion about health care and poverty, considering major challenges that disease presents around the world and the global role of healthcare


7 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Disease and Global Health – Introduction
2. Video: Democracy, Health and Engagement
3. Video: Major Health Challenges and Responses (1)
4. Video: Major Health Challenges and Responses (2)
5. Video: Testing our Work to Make it Most Effective
6. Video: Care, Organization and Making a Real Difference
7. Video: Motivating Change and Holistic Responses to Poverty
8. Reading: Recommended Readings

Graded: Global Disease and Health

WEEK 5


Women, Education and Social Change
Discussion of gender issues and the upward mobility of women, across business and education.


8 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Introduction and Quiet Violence Against Girls and Women
2. Video: Social Entrepreneurship and Gender Lens Investing
3. Video: Education and Risk Taking
4. Video: Education and Building Human Capacity
5. Video: Malala and the Courage of Education (1)
6. Video: Malala and the Courage of Education (2)
7. Video: You Can Have Impact: Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Part 1)
8. Video: How We Can Change the World: Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
9. Reading: Recommended Readings

Graded: Women, Education and Social Change

WEEK 6


Looking Back, Looking Foward
Reflections on where we have been and where we are going


2 videos expand

1. Video: Wesleyan Students Share Their Thoughts about Change
2. Video: Listening to the Local and Practical Idealism

Graded: Peer Review: Final Assignment