Listening and Learning: Courses on Understanding Racism, Inequality and Social Justice
At edX we believe that education has the power to transform and lift up humanity. It’s always been important to listen to, engage with, and learn from the perspectives of others—but now it is critical. In this learning collection, find courses that explore the history and systems that have and continue to shape the racial inequalities we face today, along with content that provides tools and skills for making change. Find additional resources to help you get started in your learning journey on our blog.
Community Engagement: Collaborating for Change
Now more than ever, people are seeking ways to affect change in their communities — both locally and around the world. This course is for anyone — from novices to experienced practitioners — who wants to work more effectively with community members and organizations. This course teaches principles and strategies for engaging with U.S.-based and global communities through partnerships, research, service, and learning.
Unconscious Bias: From Awareness to Action
Unconscious bias—everyone has it. But that doesn’t make us bad; it makes us human. While we cannot completely rid ourselves of unconscious bias, we can learn how to recognize it and lessen its impact in the workplace. These are skills that everyone can learn.
Storytelling for Social Change
Social change happens when listeners or viewers identify with messages delivered through a protagonist they identify with. This course teaches skills for using stories to deliver messages that affect audiences, develops empathy, delivers impact and shape attitudes for social change. Learn how building empathy and developing characters can offer multiple perspectives on complex problems.
Human Rights Defenders
Human rights defenders have the courage to stand up against injustice. Learn about their stories, struggles and successes. Explore how defenders mitigate risk, take action to defend human rights, and how you can use your voice to join the fight, too.
How the U.S. Government Works & How to Get Involved
Feeling overwhelmed by modern-day politics? Looking to get involved but not sure where—or how—to start? Wondering what you can do to channel your energy into action and make a difference? This course is for you. Led by expert faculty from Georgetown University, How the Government Works & How to Get Involved offers a refresher on the fundamentals of American government in the context of what’s happening right now.
Activism and Citizen Journalism through Media
Media is a powerful tool for promoting social justice. If you are an activist involved in promoting or advocating for a social cause, this course will provide you with valuable information and guidance. The course will help you to identify and pitch a newsworthy story, select appropriate media for publicising your story; and assess the impact of your story. The course also addresses working in an ethical way as both an activist and citizen journalist.
Writing for Social Justice
Can writing change your world? Learn to harness the power of writing to bring about about personal, social, and political changes that matter.
Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law
Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law uses a problem-based approach to examine a global view of anti-discrimination law, comparing US, European, and other national, regional and international legal systems, including those of India, Brazil and South Africa.
Justice
Taught by lauded Harvard professor Michael Sandel, Justice explores critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice, including discussion of present-day applications. Topics include affirmative action, income distribution, same-sex marriage, the role of markets, debates about rights (human rights and property rights), arguments for and against equality, dilemmas of loyalty in public and private life.
American Prophet: The Inner Life and Global Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a minister turned civil rights activist known throughout the world as an inspirational orator and a passionate advocate of nonviolent civil disobedience. This captivating course, Professor Clayborne Carson will walk you through a journey of discovery, following Dr. King’s thoughts and steps through Atlanta, Albany, Selma, and Memphis. Each lesson will explore a few documents from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project — a comprehensive collection of King’s most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts.
Let’s Get Principled: Values, Culture & Intelligent Disobedience!
Learn about values and decision-making, visioning the future, how values create culture, and how to be intelligently disobedient when the time comes. Remember: know yourself, know others; lead yourself, lead others.
The Civil War and Reconstruction
The Civil War and Reconstruction introduces students to the most pivotal era in American history and explores questions that remain central to our understanding of ourselves as a people and a nation – the balance of power between local and national authority, the boundaries of citizenship, and the meanings of freedom and equality.