sarah cornell & ricky lowes where does university sustainability education belong? this session...
TRANSCRIPT
Sarah Cornell & Ricky Lowes
Where does university sustainability education belong?
This session says “everywhere”.We showcase one course that demonstrates how
sustainability thinking can be included anywhere and one that breaks down disciplinary and departmental barriers.
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One course
Two successful years
Three lectures each
Four faculties
…Five, if you count Estates
Ten or more teachers
60+ students
Teaching team:
Anthony Hoare - human geographer
Sarah Cornell - environmental scientist
Chris Willmore - lawyer
Chris MacLeod - historian
Nick Lieven - engineer
John Morgan - educationalist
Andrew Pickering - economist
Chris Bertram - philosopher
Suzi Wells - IT whizz
Karen Gallagher - energy manager
Siobhan Harris - chief organiser
(and others)
Teaching SD against the grain
…podcasting, online tutorials, joint seminars, cross-cutting topics, local issues…
Teaching SD against the grain
Intellectual ownership£ allocationAssessment protocolsTimetablingStudent access to staff
Departmental structures = barriers to team teaching?
Teaching SD against the grain
Getting team teaching to work - an exercise in sustainability itself
Strong multi-disciplinary ethos
Common framing - socio-ecological system
“UNIV10001” endorsed by Pro-VC (official convenor)
Viable to distribute course income pro-rata
Flexibility and innovation in delivering course
dialogue reflexiveness
diversity
My worldview is not subjective or arbitrary -
just partial
“Post-Normal science” - carries an awareness of the
limitations of a single viewpoint in understanding
complex systems
Thank you!
Discussion points/questions:
Institutional or other barriers“Right” aims for content/learning Validation (subject appeal)