SGSI 2026: Pathways to Public Service and Social Impact: Exploring Careers for the Public Good

• Full attendance is expected.
• Expect to spend approximately 4 hours during the week outside of class to read preparatory material.

Brief Course Overview

This SGSI seminar supports Stanford students in exploring how to prepare for careers centered on service and public impact—or how to integrate meaningful service alongside any professional path. Designed for students across disciplines, the course provides perspectives and career examples that are broadly applicable while offering a structured space to reflect on personal values, experiences, and aspirations related to the public good.

Course Format

Guest speakers, community site visits, small-group discussions, and guided reflection form the core of the course format, emphasizing learning through experience, dialogue, and critical self-assessment.

Intensity Level 🔥🔥

A variety of topics are covered at a quick pace, with in-class activities that require moderate out-of-class preparation and active in-class engagement. 

Audience

Open to all graduate students* at all stages in any discipline and postdoctoral scholars (if space allows). Postdoctoral scholars will be invited to apply during the final/postdoc application period starting July 6th.

*MSx Class of 2027 and first year MBA students are ineligible to participate due to mandatory program requirements.

Detailed Course Description

This SGSI seminar supports Stanford students in exploring how to prepare for careers centered on service and public impact—or how to integrate meaningful service alongside any professional path. Designed for students across disciplines, the course provides perspectives and career examples that are broadly applicable while offering a structured space to reflect on personal values, experiences, and aspirations related to the public good. 

The course introduces students to a broad framework of pathways of public service, including direct service; politics and governance; community organizing and activism; social entrepreneurship; philanthropy; and community-engaged learning and research. Through this lens, students examine the diverse ways individuals and institutions contribute to social impact, critically engaging with the strengths, limitations, and ethical tensions inherent in different approaches to service. The course encourages students to consider how these dynamics shape their own commitments, capacities, and definitions of impact.

Learning is grounded in experiential engagement with on- and off-campus service organizations, community sites, and public, private, and nonprofit enterprises dedicated to service and public impact. Students engage with Stanford alumni and other practitioners who have pursued careers in public service or service-oriented fields, gaining insight into varied career trajectories and practical strategies for navigating next steps. 

Guest speakers, community site visits, small-group discussions, and guided reflection form the core of the course format, emphasizing learning through experience, dialogue, and critical self-assessment. By connecting graduate students with like-minded peers, campus resources, Stanford alumni, and community partners, the course fosters a supportive learning community for those interested in public service. 

Students leave with a clearer understanding of the landscape of service and public impact, greater confidence in their ability to contribute through multiple career pathways, and a concrete sense of how to continue preparing for service—whether as a primary career focus or as a lifelong commitment alongside other professional pursuits.

Objectives

In this course, you will:

• Articulate a broad understanding of public service and social impact through multiple pathways of public service, including direct service; politics and governance; community organizing and activism; social entrepreneurship; philanthropy; and community-engaged learning and research
• Critically assess the strengths, limitations, and ethical tensions associated with different approaches to public service and their implications for impact
• Reflect on their own values, experiences, skills, and positionality in relation to service, public impact, and the public good
• Identify and evaluate opportunities for impact and service across diverse career paths, including roles within and alongside traditional professions
• Engage in experiential learning through on- and off-campus service organizations and community site visits
• Learn from and interact with Stanford alumni and practitioners working in public service and service-related fields
• Build connections with peers who share an interest in public service, social impact, and the public good
• Identify concrete next steps for further exploration or preparation for careers in public service or for integrating service into their chosen careers
• Consider a career in public service and know how they plan for next steps if they choose

Instructors

• Clayton Hurd, director of community engaged research, Haas Center for Public Service