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SYSC 342U: Systems Thinking for Social Change
Clusters
Design Thinking, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Leading Social Change
Knowledge, Values & Rationality
Course Description
Interventions to alleviate social problems like homelessness, crime, racial injustice, and climate change inaction often fail because they do not adequately take into account the complex nature of the problem they’re trying to solve. Systems thinking is an emerging field of study and practice that offers concepts and tools for better understanding the complex social world around us.
In this interdisciplinary course, students will learn about practical ways to analyze social systems, recognize common archetypes, and identify effective leverage points for change. The main method used in the course is causal-loop diagramming, a type of systems mapping showing cause-and-effect relationships and feedback structure. Exploring social problems using a causal framework enables a rich discussion of power relationships, context, values, perspectives, and sources of knowledge.
The course is based on several key premises:
Systems are ubiquitous; many systems are social.
To understand system behavior, you need to understand system structure.
Similar structures produce similar behavior (system isomorphism).
To make lasting change, you need to find real points of leverage.
Systems are dynamic; they need to be understood over time.
Systems maps and models are constructions created by actors, rooted in social context.
Students will learn from real-world examples through a combination of lecture, reading, multimedia, group activities, reflection papers, and projects. No prerequisites are necessary, and examples from a wide range of fields are used.