Becoming a Force for Social Good

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Many social science classes identify important social problems but do not offer concrete pathways to addressing them. Conversely, classes on the science of happiness emphasize concrete positive actions but focus only on what you can do to improve your own personal fulfillment. This class is different. Instead of focusing on individual happiness or self-improvement, we’ll focus on how we can enhance the social good – our shared interests and the well-being of our communities. In this class, you will become a force for social good. What can the social sciences teach us about how to work in our communities to encourage trust, belonging, care, or mutual understanding? What does social science reveal about what actually works to promote stronger communities and encourage human flourishing for others? In a world grappling with complex social challenges, this course empowers you to move beyond the paralysis of not knowing what to do. We take a positive sociology approach, learning from successful cases of social progress. You will learn how change happens and how you can make a difference in your communities, from friend groups and dorms to Notre Dame and beyond. You will reflect on your values, engage with multiple visions of the “social good,” and develop practical skills in creative problem-solving, communication, and policy analysis. Through hands-on group projects, expert guest speakers, and real-world problem hacks, you will learn how to craft actionable solutions to social issues. Adopting a “small wins” approach that celebrates positive steps forward, this course aims to have students leave with a deeper understanding of social good and also the tools and confidence to make meaningful, lasting impact. Throughout the class, you will try your hand at different sociological methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups) and kinds of interventions (e.g., accompaniment, policy briefs, or storytelling), engaging the broader Notre Dame community as an active learning environment. For your final group project, you will take what you’ve learned and design an intervention to make a difference around a social problem you feel passionate about solving. This class will offer students opportunities to engage constructively with normative questions through the lens of Catholic Social Thought. Through readings, iterative reflections, and hands-on practical experiences, you will engage with normative questions about our moral obligations to others and how a good community ought to be. You will develop a deeper understanding of sociology and the Catholic tradition by exploring key questions at their intersection, such as dignity, subsidiarity, solidarity, and accompaniment. Students’ discernment of their own normative vision for the social good will be coupled with social scientific understanding of what practical actions could help students become a force for that vision, helping you begin to act in ways that help make us a better community.