Education has the power to change individuals, and individuals have the power to change the world. But where do you start? Forming educated opinions about today’s critical global issues is a valuable step you can take towards becoming a better global citizen—and a world changer. Whether you’re looking to get informed ahead of the U.S. election or want to start making a difference in your community and beyond, we have course options for you.
Browse our lookbook highlighting courses that will help you build your perspective on world politics and globalization, climate change, the justice system, public health, and the economy.
World Politics and Globalization
If you’re looking to get a broad perspective on the world today and don’t know where to start, consider a course in world politics. Explore major issues in world politics, dive into globalization and how it can shape your perspective of today’s challenges, or learn about the world’s shared plan to make the world a better place.
Course highlights:
- Explore major issues in world politics and learn how recent developments have challenged world order and peace in Contemporary Issues in World Politics from FedericaX.
- Analyze real-world ethical dilemmas using multiple frameworks and refine your own approach to ethical decision making in Foundations of Ethical Decision-Making: Government and Political Issues from GeorgetownX.
- Learn about the six distinct waves of globalization and discover what lessons we can pull from history to help us understand the tumultuous changes underway today in Globalization: Past and Future from SDGAcademyX.
- Delve into the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and find out what it will take to achieve them by 2030 in Transforming Our World: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals from SDGAcademyX.
- Immerse yourself in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and learn how to make them a reality in organizations in SDG: Moving Towards Sustainable Work from UC3Mx.
Climate Change
From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of flooding, climate change brings challenges with far-reaching impacts on the world. Whether you want to learn about the science behind climate change, explore the solutions currently being implemented, or get strategies for communicating as a change agent, there’s a course for you
Course highlights:
- Join climate science expert Michael Mann to learn about the basic scientific principles behind climate change and global warming in Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact from SDGAcademyX.
- Discover communication strategies that will empower you to talk about climate change as a means to inspire action as an educator, volunteer, or individual in Climate Change Communication from SmithsonianX.
- Dive into economic strategies for bringing our current energy system into a carbon neutral future in The Transition to the Decarbonised Economy of Tomorrow from DelftX.
- Learn about how climate change solutions are being implemented from the professors and researchers leading the battle against it in Climate Action: Solutions for a Changing Planet from SDGAcademyX.
- Examine the social and psychological drivers of climate change denial and how to effectively debunk misinformation in Making Sense of Climate Science Denial from UQx.
The Justice System
The justice system in the U.S. has been thrown into the spotlight this year, and other countries around the world are facing their own justice challenges, too. To start forming educated opinions about your system, take a broad look at justice in the context of moral and political philosophy or take a deep dive into the improvements being implemented in one area.
Course highlights:
- Explore critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice, as well as present-day applications, in Justice from HarvardX.
- Learn about crime prevention, police and justice modernization, and social rehabilitation programs and policies in the Caribbean and Latin America in Leaders in Citizen Security and Justice Management for the Carribean from IDBx.
Public Health
Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. However, it affects more than just you and your local community. It can have far-reaching impacts on a global scale, as we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Understanding those impacts is one of the first steps you can take to start building your perspective on this critical global issue.
Course highlights:
- Build an understanding of the value of health as not just a benefit or right of individuals, but as a global public need in Global Public Health from SDGAcademyX.
- Prepare to confront the opioid epidemic by gaining a broad perspective of the causes of, effects of, and solutions to it in The Opioid Crisis in America from HarvardX.
The Economy
From unequal development to the disruption technology has caused in the job market, there are a number of challenges facing the global economy today. Take a deep dive into one of these issues and explore the changes we can make to overcome them together.
Course highlights:
- Examine the role of government and the key political, social, and economic processes that impact a society’s development in From Poverty to Prosperity: Understanding Economic Development from OxfordX.
- Learn how AI, automation, advanced technologies, and new businesses are changing the skills you need to succeed in The Future of Work: Preparing for Disruption from WBGx.
- Explore how we can come together as a society to forge new policies, rules, and understandings for governing the world of work in the 21st century in Shaping Work of the Future from MITx.
- In our financially fragile world, there aren’t enough opportunities to find decent work. Learn about the state of work in our world and what it will take to ensure sustainable economic development for all in Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future from SDGAcademyX.
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