Be a dreamer. A creator. A leader. A changemaker. As you plan out your first semester at UMD, we thought you may be interested in some of the courses that explore and engage in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, social innovation, and doing good at UMD. Courses are offered across campus, available to any major.
From single courses to a nonprofit leadership and social innovation minor, there are plenty of ways to learn more about what it means to do good at UMD, in your communities, your careers, and throughout your lives.
This is not a class where we come in, get lectured at, and take a test. We are learning real world lessons while doing hands-on assignments that have the capacity to create true social change.Alex Senior
Relevant Courses
In this course, students will hear from real-life social entrepreneurs, explore current day social issues of sustainability, climate change, leadership, disruptive innovations, and create or blueprint business plans to generate positive social change. This class will focus on innovative thinking skills, personal narratives, and social interaction strategies and plans.
This class covers students' COMM107 public speaking requirement and is designed for students committed to community engagement and social change. Guided by a model of service learning, students will work alongside the Do Good Institute to enact change in their communities.
Critical analysis of issues at the intersection of engineering, philanthropy and social change. How engineering design, products and processes have created social change in the past and will do so in the future through both intended and unintended consequences. Topics covered include energy, sustainability and climate change, autonomy, the digital future, low cost engineering, manufacturing, philanthropy, ethics and the impact of electronics on society, among others. Faculty and external experts will engage with students on these topics. Students will broadly engage with organizations involved in using technology for positive social impact.
Designed for students who want to develop the skills needed to start a successful social venture--a start-up business with a social mission or a new nonprofit program. The course centers on a major writing project such as a business plan, a website design plan, a fundraising proposal, or a concept paper for a new nonprofit organization. Students produce other communication projects that social entrepreneurs use to develop their businesses and nonprofits, such as presentations or pitches to prospective investors/donors, marketing materials, and a job announcement. Students will learn from local social entrepreneurs who share their experiences of using writing to succeed in the field.
Examines professional writing and communication work in the non-profit sector. Students will analyze the audiences and document genres that they may encounter in real-world non-profit work and will learn how to compose many of these documents, from press releases and other public relations material to position papers, reports, and grant proposals. Students may also have the opportunity to add a service-learning component to the course by working with and for an area non-profit.
The use of leadership theories to inform the practice of addressing social issues in society, on campus, or within the surrounding community. Students will: identify a current and compelling social issue; explore the historical, social, and political aspects of social issues; identify and select applicable leadership theories to confront the social issue; create and develop a plan that integrates leadership theories and the social issue; and implement and evaluate the overall social action project.
Interested in becoming more innovative? IDEA258A offers an opportunity to do so in this interactive, 1-credit class open to all majors. Learn more here.
From immigration to the environment, learn how to ethically persuade and convince people as a key to change in this 1-credit STIC course: IDEA258C. Learn more here.
Through discussions of contemporary trends, challenges and issues, this course provides an introduction to the nonprofit and NGO sectors, social innovation, and the leadership and management skills required to achieve social impact.
This course will further your understanding of topics in leadership, social innovation, resource development, community mobilization through networks, and the role of policy making in creating change. Explore how to scale up social impact.
This course introduces students to the concept of social innovation while exploring the many mechanisms for achieving social impact. It is a team-based, highly interactive and dynamic course, providing an opportunity for students to generate solutions to a wide range of problems facing society today.
This course will define philanthropy and explore how a person or group can deploy resources to achieve a positive and lasting impact. During the semester, the class will go through the challenging and exciting process of ultimately granting approximately $7,500 to an organization that we believe can use these resources to achieve an impact on an issue of international significance.
Learn About the Nonprofit Leadership and Social Innovation MinorBefore taking this class, social change seemed like a huge insurmountable goal. But now, I have practical tools and techniques to make a change. As a result, change doesn't seem so scary anymore.Tesfe Freshman
Most of the class activities push me to think outside the box, and this has helped me rewire my thinking and understanding of how change could happen. I loved it.Yuan Junior
