Social change is an often slow, grueling process. Advocacy – which means to act on behalf of a cause, an individual, or a community – is a key part of this process. It includes activities like holding protests, lobbying politicians, raising funds, and designing campaigns that raise awareness and outline specific actions. People have advocated on issues like civil rights, gender equality, healthcare, climate change, and much more. How can people become better advocates and create change? Here are 10 advocacy courses:
#1. Speak Up! Advocating for Yourself and Others in Healthcare (Salisbury/Maryland University)
#2. Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change (University of Michigan)
#3. Advocating for Change in Your Organization (LinkedIn Learning)
#4. Becoming a Changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation (University of Capetown)
#5. Championing Change: Human Rights and the Climate Crisis (Amnesty International)
#6. Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment and Violence (Jesus College Cambridge)
#7. Climate Action: Solutions for a Changing Planet (SDGAcademyX)
#8. Fighting for Equality: 1950-2018 (Columbia University)
#9. Psychology of Political Activism: Women Changing the World (Smith College)
#10. ESG and Social Activism (University of Pennsylvania)
Note: Course fees are subject to change.
#1. Speak Up! Advocating for Yourself and Others in Healthcare (Salisbury/Maryland University)
Do you or people you know feel nervous about speaking up in a healthcare setting? Whether it’s asking clarifying questions about care or addressing something uncomfortable, many people struggle with communication. This course helps you learn to advocate for yourself and others in settings like doctor’s offices, hospitals, and clinics.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Identify what makes speaking up challenging
- Describe three strategies for interacting with health professionals
- Practice good communication tactics
- Explain why speaking up in a healthcare setting is important for good healthcare
How you’ll learn
This is a beginner course, so no prerequisites are needed. Course materials include videos, readings, worksheets, and optional homework assignments. At the time of writing, the course was archived, so graded materials aren’t available. When you spend 2-5 hours per week on the course, it should take about 4 weeks to finish it.
#2. Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change (University of Michigan)
What is social work and what role does it play in social justice? You’ll explore these questions and more during this course. You’ll also learn about the history of social work, current challenges, and how social workers support resilience for individuals, families, and communities. The course is part of the “Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research” MasterTrack Certificate Program.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Explain the history of social work and practice in the US
- Understand the roles of social workers at the micro, mezzo, and macro system levels
- Learn social work frameworks like the cultural humility framework, evidence-informed practice perspective, and strengths approach
- Examine the Privilege, Oppression, Social Justice, and Diversity framework
How you’ll learn
With 3 hours of work per week, you can complete this course in about 4 weeks. Course materials include videos, discussion forums, readings, practice quizzes, and four graded quizzes. Each is worth 25% of your grade, though you’ll need to pay for the certificate to access graded assignments. Subtitles are available in languages like Arabic, French, Vietnamese, Russian, and English.
#3. Advocating for Change in Your Organization (LinkedIn Learning)
Advocacy is a skill that takes practice. In this course, which is taught by Dereca Blackmon, the CEO of Inclusion Design Group, you’ll learn how to harness your strengths and become an advocate in your company or organization. You’ll learn what needs to be done to create lasting change.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Develop the foundations for diversity and inclusion
- Identify where change is needed
- Learn how to find allies and collaborators
- Explore the business, ethical, and personal cases for change
- Create an effective plan for change
How you’ll learn
This short course is for beginners, so no previous knowledge is needed. It consists of an introduction and four short video modules. There’s also one exercise file and four quizzes. To access the course and get your certificate, you’ll need to pay around $35.
#4. Becoming a Changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation (University of Capetown)
This course is designed for anyone who wants to create social change through entrepreneurship or with an organization. You’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to understand social innovation and its various pathways. The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and RLaws, a Cape Town-based social movement, co-created the course.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Identify the differences between simple, complicated, and complex problems
- Discover the kinds of resources available, such as physical spaces, expertise, knowledge, and so on
- Explore the methodologies and techniques that produce new ideas and opportunities
- Learn about organizing, financing, and scaling social innovation
How you’ll learn
This course is divided into 6 weeks and takes about 20 hours to complete. It’s a beginner level, so no previous knowledge is required. Course materials include videos, readings, quizzes, peer assessments, case studies, and more. The course is free, so you can access all materials. A certificate costs around $40. Subtitles are available in languages like Arabic, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and English.
#5. Championing Change: Human Rights and the Climate Crisis (Amnesty International)
The effects of climate change are becoming impossible to ignore. Floods, droughts, extreme weather events, and more threaten the environment and human health and life. This course studies the relationship between climate change and human rights, including how they influence each other and how improving one improves the other.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Define essential terms like human rights, climate change, and climate justice
- Understand the state’s role and responsibilities regarding climate change
- Explore what individuals are doing in the fight for climate justice
- Identify what you can do to protect the environment and human rights
How you’ll learn
This beginner course is divided into 3 weeks with just 1 hour of study per week. Course materials include videos, articles, quizzes, and discussions. With the free option, you have limited access to materials. If you want to learn at your own speed and get a certificate after finishing the course, you can pay a $40 fee.
#6. Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment and Violence (Jesus College Cambridge)
Sexual harassment and violence have gained more attention in recent years, but how does society end them? What can people do at home, at work, and in society at large? This course teaches you how to be an active bystander who can respond to sexual harassment and violence. It relies on disciplines like social psychology, law, business studies, public policy, and more to help you learn what to do.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Understand why movements like #MeToo get so much attention
- Reflect on the role of culture and institutions in sexual harassment and violence
- Identify ways to respond as active bystanders and how individuals and groups can address harassment and violence
- Learn how to stay safe as an active bystander
How you’ll learn
This course takes 6 weeks with 4-6 hours of work per week. This is a beginner’s course, so you don’t need previous knowledge or classwork. Materials include videos, readings, and quizzes. When you take the free audit track, you have limited access to materials. A $99 fee gets you a certificate and unlimited course access.
#7. Climate Action: Solutions for a Changing Planet (SDGAcademy)
Climate change has been accelerating for decades. Countries have made commitments to change, but how do commitments become action? This course is designed for students with some knowledge of climate change, including graduate students, advanced undergrads, climate change activists, and sustainable development practitioners.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Understand the Paris Climate Agreement and terms like the carbon budget and deep carbonization
- Explore the role of renewable energy sources like solar and wind
- Examine global crop models, global land-use, and the SDGs
- Identify policy tools, low-emission solutions, and the role of businesses
How you’ll learn
This course takes 10 weeks with 2-4 hours of study per week. It’s an intermediate course, so you’ll benefit most if you understand the basics of climate change and climate action. Materials include videos, readings, questions, and discussion activities. You can audit the course for free, but if you want a certificate, you’ll need to pay a $50 fee.
#8. Fighting for Equality: 1950-2018 (Columbia University)
How did the Cold War impact society’s view of the suburban, nuclear family? This course looks at this impact and how women’s journey to equality was affected. You’ll learn about gender equality, the breadwinner-homemaker system of beliefs, and the evolution of the feminist movement. This course is the last part of the “Women Have Always Worked” edX MOOC.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Explore how the ideal of the middle-class, suburban housewife was set against the threat of communism
- Understand how gender-based discrimination in activism spurred women’s defiance of “natural” roles
- Reflect on the experiences of women from different classes, races, and citizenship status
- Identify how feminists from different groups challenged expectations and gendered definitions
How you’ll learn
This intermediate 7-part course takes about 12 weeks to finish with 2-3 hours of work per week. Course materials include videos, ungraded knowledge checks, discussion forums, and reflections. You can audit the course, but access is limited. Upgrading costs $50.
#9. Psychology of Political Activism: Women Changing the World (Smith College)
During this course, you’ll hear from icons like Gloria Steinman and Loretta Ross and explore questions like what motivates people to become activists. You’ll analyze the psychological theories that try to answer questions like this and learn why some people are drawn to social change. The course is framed around nine prominent women activists from the 1960s-1990s.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Discover the theoretical foundations, research methods, and applications of political psychology
- Apply theories and learn more about why people are motivated to political action
- Analyze source materials and understand the importance of preserving archives
- Define terms like intersectionality and politicized racial identity
How you’ll learn
This course is currently archived, but you can see many of the materials, like videos, readings, and assignments. Coursework is divided into 7 weeks with 3-5 hours of study per week.
#10. ESG and Social Activism (University of Pennsylvania)
In this course, you’ll learn about the impact of ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) ratings and how companies weigh these issues against their profits. By the course’s end, you’ll understand how social activism affects the modern corporate world, how companies can incorporate ESG issues into their governance strategies, and why diversity and inclusion are good for businesses.
What you’ll learn (excerpt)
- Learn about social performance and how companies face criticism if they’re not seen as authentic
- Understand corporate activism and how CEOs can be activists
- Identify the role of corporate governance in risk management and strategy
- Examine Board structures and governance
How you’ll learn
This course is broken into 7 weeks and takes about 7 hours to complete. It’s the last course in the “Materiality of ESG Factors” specialization. Course materials include videos, readings, and practice exercises. Graded quizzes are not available on the audit track.
