Cult.Prac.Sustain.Dev.inQatar

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course introduces students to the interplay between cultural practices and sustainable development using the case of Qatar to demonstrate how a nation can harness the “Power of Culture” to advance its sustainable development goals. The course will be divided into three main sections. The first section lays the foundations. During this part of the course, students will look at history, theory, and institutions impacting sustainable development. They will be encouraged to think critically about issues of cultural protection, nation-building, and what historically sparked the first sustainable development attempts. The second section demonstrates how a nation can utilize culture as a driver for human, social, economic, and environmental sustainable development. During this part of the course, students will engage with the theory around culture as a sustainable development instigator while examining the ecosystem of collaborators within Qatar who support its national development strategy. Students will have the chance to learn first-hand from leaders within the arts and culture field in Qatar through guest lectures and site visits. In the course’s final section, students will examine issues arising from, and standing in the way of, the advancement of culture as an instigator and driver of sustainable development through discussing morals and ethics as well as policies, mandates, and legal structures.