Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good

About the Online Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good Certificate

Change is inevitable. As we adapt to meet the needs of this 21^st century moment, dialogue, ethics, and social good are more important than ever. This certificate explores why, through foundational examples from across the arts and sciences; it also offers everyday strategies for addressing important social problems that impact our personal and professional lives. We will ground our work in historical and emergent practices that challenge us to do things differently. This includes engaging with stories, models, and divergent questions that encourage transformative thinking—in service of shaping change for the better.

Online Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good Requirements

Certificate students who complete four of the online courses listed below will earn a Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good. Those students are then eligible to pursue an Advanced Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good by taking two additional courses at the 2000 or 3000 level.

Certificate requirements:

DISG 1000: Centering Dialogue as a Leadership Strategy (required course)
Three other certificate courses (any level)

Advanced certificate requirements:

DISG 1000: Centering Dialogue as a Leadership Strategy (required course)
Three other certificate courses (any level)
Two other certificate courses (2000 – 3000 level)

Flexible Course Schedule and Tuition

Penn LPS Online courses in the Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good are offered on an accelerated (8-week) schedule. Courses in the online certificate program are largely asynchronous with some synchronous sessions to be scheduled by the instructors. All Penn LPS Online courses are taught at the undergraduate level by Penn instructors.

You have the option to enroll in individual Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good courses without committing to the entire online certificate, enjoying the flexibility and expertise offered by Penn LPS Online to suit your schedule and interests. Visit the Cost of Attendance page for course tuition and fee rates.

See Course Tuition

*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.

The Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good prepares you to:

Analyze structural expressions of power, status, and capital in society
Examine the ways race, class, sexuality, gender, and disability impact individual and group dynamics
Demonstrate applied strategies for collaboration and community-building in personal and professional contexts
Use qualitative and/or quantitative methods to investigate the psychological, cultural, political, economic, and environmental elements of organizational life
Design practices that promote care, well-being, and emergent leadership in physical and digital spaces
Evaluate examples of dialogue, ethics, and social good across sectors and disciplines
Build adaptive toolkits that support information literacy, informed decision-making, and deliberate action