Do you want to learn how to make lasting changes on a larger scale than one person can normally achieve? Organizers do that by identifying, recruiting, and developing leadership; nurturing community around that leadership; and building power from the resources of that community. In this course, you learn how to do this kind of organizing in your workplace and your community. You will form leadership teams of 3 to 5 classmates based on common values, identify the constituency with which your team will work, develop a campaign strategy to make a change that constituents think is important, try to implement that strategy. Organizing is a craft: you learn by doing and you get better with practice. You will learn five core leadership practices: building public relationships, turning values into motivation through public narrative, turning resources into power by strategizing, turning intentions into effective action, and structuring organization to develop leadership, engage constituents, and achieve goals. You will also learn to coach others and to receive coaching in organizing practices.

Course Requirements:

Course Assessment: Grades derive mainly from nine reflection papers, a mid-term report, an organizing team presentation to the class, and a final reflection assessing what you have learned from the team formation, strategy development and campaign implementation processes. Grades do not depend on whether or not your team’s campaign “succeeds” within the short time-frame of a single term; you will learn a great deal whether or not you achieve a success of this sort.