Looking at Dewey’s and Addams’ aspirations for an ethical democracy, this chapter examines the philosophic and methodological connections between pragmatist social change and contemporary design thinking innovation. Design thinking, a method of problem-solving based in understanding the values and needs of people, has become a useful method of social change in the past decade. It is in many ways comparable to pragmatist social ethics that require empathy as a foundation for democracy and embrace experimentalism, meliorism, and fallibilism. Design thinkers talk about the importance of difference/diversity but often have limited critical reflection on the theoretical underpinnings on the role of power and privilege in the design process. A feminist pragmatist lens can address this and strengthen this experimental approach. Reading Addams’ and Dewey’s work also provides historical context for a contemporary culture of innovation while providing guidance for future social imagining.

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Higher education institutions are continually seeking to recruit nontraditional adult students yet struggle at the same time to meet their needs effectively. The following case study offers strategies to address this situation by documenting the pedagogical design and initial outcomes of an interdisciplinary, nineteen-month leadership-themed liberal studies undergraduate degree completion program at Grand Valley State University. As an innovative, accelerated, hybrid cohort model, it incorporates a wide range of high-impact practices focused on developing the skills leaders use and employers require. The curriculum integrates practices from motivational and experiential learning, community-based learning, and design thinking to scaffold students' learning across their courses. The program thereby encourages students to wrestle with the complexity of social issues in their communities and develop the skills and virtues necessary for addressing those problems. As a case study, this article is particularly relevant for educators and administrators hoping to uncover a means for catalyzing innovative co-participatory engagement projects that engage with the needs of the surrounding community in a format supportive of nontraditional learners.

This paper argues that communitarian philosophy can be an important philosophic resource for feminist thinkers, particularly when considered in the light of Jane Addams's (1860–1955) feminist‐pragmatism. Addams's communitarianism requires progressive change as well as a moral duty to seek out diverse voices. Contrary to some contemporary communitarians, Addams extends her concept of community to include interdependent global communities, such as the global community of women peace workers.

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