Course Code: STC311

We have seen many examples of dramatic change in human societies - some for the better, some for the worse, but how can society change in ways that benefit everyone? Amidst today’s multiple, overlapping, and growing crises, learning to become protagonists of enduring widespread change is one of the most consequential capacities of our time. This course examines social change through historical analysis in dialogue with a Framework for Collective Learning — a set of principles for reading history and shaping collective action. Students investigate dimensions of transformation through principles including collective social maturation, universal participation, and coherence between the inner and outer dimensions of individual and collective flourishing. Emphasis is placed on articulating how social change is a long-term, collective learning process requiring systematic approaches rather than isolated actions. Students explore how effective changemakers align vision, strategies, and actions with an evolving, coherent framework. Through analysis of and engagement with local changemakers, students build the capacity to contribute to public discourse — understanding that shifting how people see and think about the world is itself a significant act of social change — in their communities, academic work, and daily interactions.