Design Thinking for Social Change (Spring 2026)

Partner Pacific School of Religion
Learning Pillar Theological Imagination
Rigor Level Low

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of Course Component One, you will:

  1. Understand the concept, origin, and theological underpinnings of design thinking.
  2. Learn key human-centered design principles
  3. Create a personal self-reflective practice for growth and development of creative-leadership capacities.

Upon completion of Course Component Two, you will:

  1. Understand the design thinking and human-centered design framework for self-directed work.
  2. Learn key human-centered mindsets, steps, skills, and methods of design thing.
  3. Expand your design lens through gaining access to resources for continued learning and support in application.

Upon completion of Course Component Three, you will:

  1. Apply learned practices and principles to real-life leadership challenges
  2. Apply design thinking through your developed design lens to social marginalization.
  3. Expand on your personal self-reflective practices for the growth and development of your creative leadership capacities.

Upon completion of Course Component Four, you will:

  1. Engage learned practices and principles to real-life leadership challenges in a group setting.
  2. Apply design thinking through your developed design lens to social marginalization.
  3. Engage on your personal self-reflective practices for the growth and development of your creative leadership capacities.
  4. Engage all principles and practices learned throughout this course in a collaborative, group environment to, collectively, make change to an issue of social injustice.

Course Components

Design Thinking for Social Change 1: Design Lens

  • Introduction to Design Thinking for Social Change

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Introduction to your Instructor

    in theLi
    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Guest Voices

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • The Design Lens

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Innovation

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Creative Action

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Human-Centered Design

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Design is a Theory of Change

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Design Research

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Affordance and Social Change

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Seeing the World Through a Design Lens

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • A Historical Perspective on Design Discipline

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • The Origins of Design Thinking

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Design Wisdom for the Spiritual Seeker

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked

Design Thinking for Social Change 2: The Mindsets, Steps, Skills and Methods

  • Mindsets, Steps, Skills and Methods

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • The Steps of Design Thinking

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • The Mindsets of Design Thinking

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Praxis and Practice

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 1 - Inspire

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 2 - Define

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 3 - Ideate

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 4 - Protype

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 5 - Test

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 6 - Reflect

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • The Mindsets of Designing for Social Change

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked

Design Thinking for Social Change 3: The Solo Practicum

  • The Solo Practicum

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Getting Started

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Feedback, Critique, and Facilitation as Design Skills

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 1 - Inspire

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 2 - Define

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 3 - Ideate

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 4 - Prototype

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 5 - Test

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Step 6 - Reflect and Pitch

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • What's Next

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked

Design Thinking for Social Change 4 : The Collaborative Practicum

  • Collaborative Practicum

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Collaborative Skills

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked
  • Meet Your Studio Team

    10 Minutes
    Lesson Locked

Design Thinking for Social Change (Spring 2026)

Taught by Neil Goldberg

This course is for learners registered in the full-term PSR course, Design Thinking for Social Change.

Neil Goldberg

Meet Your Instructor,
Neil Goldberg

Neil Goldberg, an Adjunct Professor at Pacific School of Religion, is a designer, entrepreneur, educator, and author with a passion for seeing human centered design applied with artisanal care to every kind of artifact of the human imagination – and to bring forward design as a framework for enlivened leadership. After starting his career with furniture maker Herman Miller, he brought the people centered innovation process he practiced there to Silicon Valley where he founded the design agency Praxis, and led multi-disciplinary teams developing award winning products. As an entrepreneur he founded WorkClub, the first co-working business operating on a subscription business model. He has also created ventures in digital photography, online print fulfillment and solar power.