Micro Activism in the Age of AI
Instructor information
Dr. José Marichal (he/him/his)
Professor of Political Science
Contact: marichal@callutheran.edu
Course Description
The emergence of micro activism signifies a profound paradigm shift in the landscape of social engagement, moving away from institutionalized, resource-heavy advocacy toward a model of decentralized, individual-led influence. This transition is not merely a change in scale but a fundamental re-engineering of the relationship between individual agency, economic autonomy, and technological leverage.
Building on the concept of the "Sovereign Advocate," this course empowers individuals to achieve "agency independence"—the ability to choose causes and methods based on conviction rather than economic or institutional necessity. In the age of AI, the cost of producing and analyzing information has collapsed, granting individuals asymmetrical power previously reserved for states or large corporations. Students will learn to build "automated impact infrastructure" that works autonomously to shift behavior and hold power accountable.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Apply the Guillebeau Insight: Repurpose lean entrepreneurship principles (create once, influence infinitely) for social impact.
- Deconstruct the NGO Myth: Navigating and avoiding the traps of the "non-profit industrial complex" and mission drift.
- Build Impact Infrastructure: Design and deploy AI-assisted tools (monitoring systems, community knowledge bases) for ongoing civic engagement.
- Master Digital Sovereignty: Avoid platform capture and accuracy-automation paradoxes through self-hosted and decentralized web technologies.
- Achieve Financial Independence as Strategy: Use the FIRE movement principles to secure personal autonomy for high-risk advocacy.
- Utilize Advanced Prompt Engineering: Master frameworks like CARE and REFINE to act as a one-person research and communications team.
Schedule
Unit 1: The Genesis of Micro Engagement
The "liberating insight": Success is found at the intersection of passion, skill, and needs. Redefining "profit" as "impact".
- Micro-Activism Resources (Sustainability Directory)
- Making a Difference through Micro Activism (BORGEN)
| Tenet | Microbusiness Context | Micro Activism Context |
|---|---|---|
| Leverage | Trading systems for money | Building infrastructure that works autonomously |
| Value | Solving a consumer problem | Shifting behavior or holding power accountable |
| Scaling | Subscription models | Open-source tools and community knowledge bases |
Unit 2: The Myth of the NGO
How radical energy is absorbed into manageable, non-threatening structures. The "Tethered Advocate".
How organizations cease to solve problems and begin to sustain themselves. The Micro Activist's "Asymmetric Power".
Unit 3: Automated Impact Infrastructure
Design principles for impact: Open standards, Data Integrity, and Accountability by Design.
Technical Lab: Ethical scraping (using Urban Institute SiteMonitor methodology).
Unit 4: Navigating the New Mistake Patterns
Case Study: Why NYC's chatbot failed and the importance of expert verification.
Unit 5: The Financial Precondition for Integrity
Calculating the FIRE Number (25×E) to enable "Legacy Work" without grant dependency.
Gendered perspectives on financial power. Wealth in the hands of independent women as a driver of systemic transformation.
Unit 6: Sovereignty of Action
The Indispensable, The Producer, The Organizer, The Headliner. Why "spreadsheet-ing the hell out of an initiative" is a leadership act.
Algorithmic resistance: Repurposing algorithms used to monitor gig workers. Narrative defense systems.
A fast, low-cost approach to enacting temporary changes to catalyze long-term improvements in the built environment. It relies on Agility & Affordability, Experimentation & Adaptability, Data-Driven Evaluation, and Inclusive Public Participation to confront failing policies.
Key Characteristics: A phased approach for local solutions with a short-term commitment that acts as a first step toward longer-term change, building social and organizational capital while offering low risk with potentially high rewards.
Unit 7: Technical Mastery for the Advocate
Drafting policy responses and analyzing bias in large datasets.
Bridging the capacity gap: Acting as your own research assistant and comms director.
Unit 8: Impact Independence Showcase
Presenting automated tools and "Theory of Change" models for decentralized social impact.
Living Skills Checklist
- Calculation of Personal FIRE Number
- Establishment of Encrypted/Self-Hosted Comms
- Drafting of a Three-Stage "Theory of Change"
- Creation of a Functional Scraper or LLM Pipeline
- Authorship of a Set of "Policy Patterns" using the CARE framework