This Online Class Wants You to Change The World

Ever wanted to learn the secrets of changing the world? There's a class for that.

Wesleyan University has developed a new massive open online course (MOOC) based on the ideas exchanged this weekend at the Social Good Summit in New York City. Launching in January, the course is now open for enrollment on the Coursera website.

See also: What Do You Wish You Knew Before Starting College?

Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan, said during his speech on Sunday his university and the online class foster a liberal education that encourages scholarship beyond campus.

"By liberal education, I mean an education that leads you to ask more questions," he said, "And results in life-long learning."

Roth said education should do four things: liberate, animate, cooperate and instigate.

"The business of education is to help people make the world come alive for them."

And while education can open learners' minds and help them see the world differently, Roth said it should ultimately lead to a corporative understanding of others and a desire to initiate change.

"We have to go beyond our colleges and universities to create change in the world," he said.

The six-week MOOC will require about three to five hours of work a week. Each class, which Roth will lead, will begin with a video from the Social Good Summit, and will explore issues such as poverty, health care, education, gender and activism.

The first class will begin on Jan. 20.

Does this sound like something you'd take? Tell us what you think about it below.

About Social Good Summit

The Social Good Summit is where big ideas meet new media to create innovative solutions and is brought to you by Mashable, The 92nd Street Y, The United Nations Foundation, The United Nations Development Programme, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ericsson. Held during U.N. Week, the Social Good Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders to discuss a big idea: the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges.

Date: Sept. 22 through Sept. 24
Time: 12 to 6 p.m. each day
Location: 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y.
Tickets are sold-out, but tune into the Livestream.

About Ericsson

BONUS: 10 Empowering Apps for Social Good

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Image: Mashable