Developed and co-hosted through partnership between the Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Course Code:
LEAD 498
Time/Location:
In-person, Wednesdays
3:30PM – 5:20PM
Instructors:
Fran Lo and
Sophie Pierszalowski
Offered:
Winter 2027
Research can do more than create new knowledge. It can strengthen communities, build public trust, and create meaningful change.
Join LEAD 498: Beyond the Project: Leading in Research for Social Impact and Success and explore how values, ethics, advocacy, compassion, community engagement, and effective communication can help you become a more impactful researcher and leader. Through active discussion, guest speakers, critical dialogue and reflection, you’ll tackle a timely question: What does socially responsible leadership look like in research?
Whether you’re already involved in research or just getting started, this course offers an opportunity to connect with a community of students who are passionate about using research to serve the public good. You’ll develop leadership skills that employers, communities, and graduate programs value while exploring how research can address complex challenges and create lasting impact.
If you want your research to make a difference beyond the project itself, this course is for you.
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Explore values-driven pathways to a research career and articulate how values inform research endeavors and impact identity
- Critically examine the research process from developing research questions to sharing research findings through an ethics of engagement lens
- Explore the principles, process, and value of community-engaged research
- Describe why interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and effective communication are important for addressing complex issues
- Use their experiences, values, and realities to make intentional and critically informed decisions about AI use
- Critically examine the breakdown in public trust in research and deepen our understanding of how to engage in dialogue across difference
- Deepen understanding of the role of research as a civic practice that strengthens communities and serves the public good
