It’s the course that kicks off with a blunt message: loneliness is a problem in our country. Social isolation will deter communities from coming together to solve problems and come up with effective solutions.

Urban Pathways (GSC 100), at the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs is a first-year seminar emphasizing skills needed to strengthen individual resilience. It is open to all undergraduate students. 

“To build meaningful connections and shift out of feelings of loneliness, students need both internal strategies, like emotional regulation, and external tools, including communication and other relational skills,” said Milia Heen, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership.

In turn, students can better help their communities, Heen said.

At the start of the semester, students watched a video produced by The New York Times called “The Life Span of Loneliness." What followed were serious conversations among classmates about making friends, finding commonalities, and losing people in their lives close to them.

During one of the class exercises this past spring semester, students walked around each other in silence in the Greenspun Hall courtyard to emulate what it feels like to be disconnected from people. In another exercise, they were asked to smile at or greet people they didn’t know on campus — an idea that originated when the professors noticed students frequently wearing headphones and seemingly unaware of their surroundings.

Instructors said the COVID-19 pandemic impacted individuals’ ability to engage in the kind of spontaneous social interactions that leads to making and keeping friends.

“As first-year students, many are navigating the transition from high school to adulthood without the social-emotional tools to do so," Heen said. “They’re excited about making friends, but often don’t know how — a disconnect we see play out at the start of every semester. Students come to class and sit in silence or retreat to their phones."

“Urban Pathways helps bridge the gap between what students hope for and the skills they need to get there," she added.

Throughout the semester, students learn skills in communication, empathy, and adaptability. In addition, the course emphasizes mindfulness, acting with intention, and having a growth mindset. And that sets them up to not only thrive in their personal lives but also meet the needs of employers, said Department of Criminal Justice professor Joel Lieberman. 

Increasingly, employers are looking for individuals who can demonstrate skills in team building, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Professors say the course explored loneliness as part of a resiliency theme that aligned with the college’s broader focus when the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory in 2023 calling loneliness an epidemic. The report lays out the effects of loneliness including depression and anxiety, physical ailments, and early mortality.

Using this report and research in psychology, communication, neurobiology, and medical research examining the impact act of social isolation, Urban Pathways encourages students to get out of their comfort zones. 

“Ultimately, the class is based on the fundamental principle that life is ‘non-linear.’ There are ups. There are downs. There are changes. There are setbacks. People change jobs, get promoted, get laid off, get burnt out and go in new directions,” Lieberman said. “They make friends, they lose people they are close to. People fall in love, and they fall out of love. There is incredible happiness and unimaginable sadness ahead for us all.” 

Learning to Connect

The class is a fit for all personality types.

Instructors rotate name place cards so that students sit with different classmates at large group tables each class. Students from previous classes are selected as peer mentors to help the new ones adjust to the course's unconventional ways. 

Alyssa Leavitt, a graduate assistant in criminal justice, is a former Urban Pathways student. She’s been a peer mentor for the students in four classes, and noticed the students’ growth from the beginning to the end of the semester. 

“I think especially in urban affairs, we have a lot of — I wouldn’t say difficult careers — but careers where you’re going to be exposed to a lot. You really need to know how to take care of yourself before you can take care of other people,” Leavitt said. “Whether you’re a police officer, or social worker, or coming from journalism, it’s really important to understand what people are going through and how to help them, but also how to be good with yourself first to the best of your ability.”

On the last day of class in the spring semester, students reflected on what they learned for over 15 weeks using Lego bricks.

Many Fortune 500 companies use Lego “serious play” as a team building exercise, said Lieberman. Instructors give students prompts to build visual stories together. The prompts require the students to avoid group think, share commonalities, envision their individual goals, and reflect on what they learned.

For Joseph Hilario, a social work major who says he easily starts up conversations, the class taught him about collaboration.

“We build Legos, do videos and skits. We have different ideas clashing and we’re trying to bring and blend all of it together. We’re being leaders, and learning to adapt,” Hilario said. “This class dives into why you’re doing the things you’re doing, and it gets to the core of what you’re passionate about. It’s foreshadowing what you want in your career.” 

Vivian Ramirez, an English major, said she’s the opposite of Hilario and generally not talkative. 

“It helped me overcome that fear — that thing is holding me back. I've been able to be more outgoing. I talk to people more, and I’m not afraid of challenges. It’s knowing I have the tools to overcome anything that comes my way.”

Course readings include:

• Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
• The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz