Changemaking in Cross-Cultural Communities for climate change is designed to equip students with the practical tools to research and address pressing global challenges, specifically within the realm of climate change, through an explicitly cross-cultural lens. Students will learn how to conduct in-depth, culturally aware research, design interventions that respect and reflect cultural diversity, and work collaboratively across cultural boundaries to address complex, intersectional global issues. The course emphasizes understanding how cultural differences—such as language, values, traditions, and systems of knowledge—shape both the experiences of individuals and communities and the solutions to these challenges.
Throughout the course, students will engage with scholarly literature from various cultural perspectives on climate change, critically examining how different cultural groups, especially Indigenous and marginalized communities, are disproportionately impacted. This will allow students to explore how historical, social, and economic factors intersect with cultural identity, and to develop solutions that address these disparities in inclusive and culturally appropriate ways. The course will explore changemaking models from different global contexts—including community-based activism, Indigenous knowledge systems, mutual aid, social entrepreneurship, and global non-profits—giving students a comprehensive toolkit for designing interventions that are culturally sustaining, ethical, and transformative.
The core of the course involves practical application: students will work in small teams to design an intervention focused on creating positive change in healthcare. This process will involve consulting with diverse cultural stakeholders, understanding local and traditional practices, and engaging in respectful dialogue to ensure that proposed solutions are both relevant and respectful to the cultural identities and lived experiences of those they aim to serve. Students will learn how to address issues of cultural power dynamics, privilege, and structural bias within communities, ensuring that their solutions are not only effective but also equitable and empowering.
The course will culminate in the presentation of these projects, providing students with an opportunity to showcase their changemaking initiatives, reflect on their own learning process, and critically assess the cultural implications and potential global impact of their work. By the end of the course, students will have developed a deep understanding of how to design and implement solutions that respect cultural differences, build solidarity, and create sustainable, culturally grounded change in global contexts.