EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
How can education - for children and adults, in school and out - help to address crucial environmental and social sustainability challenges? What ideas and strategies have guided environmental and sustainability education over the years? What can individual people do to address environmental challenges, and what can only be accomplished by people working together? What does sustainability have to do with justice - and vice versa? Examine the principles behind behavior change and empowerment, community action and whole-scale social reform. Drawing on research and theory from across the social sciences, we will explore the uncertain relationship between education and advocacy, seeking the means by which education can have the greatest impact without compromising the core ideals of a democratic society.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Sophomore standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science Breadth - Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Explain and apply the complicated and controversial idea of sustainability Audience: Undergraduate 2. Articulate a clear definition of education that goes beyond schools and classrooms Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze factors that influence individuals’ decisions about sustainability-related action Audience: Undergraduate 4. Describe how social structure and social context shapes sustainability-related action, and describe how some factors relevant to sustainability can only be seen and changed at the community level Audience: Undergraduate 5. Identify educational strategies that can be used to make change at the individual and community level, and understand the advantages and limitations of different educational perspectives Audience: Undergraduate 6. Explain how and why some environmental projects come at the expense of poor, minoritized and otherwise vulnerable groups of people Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Explain and apply the complicated and controversial idea of sustainability Audience: Undergraduate 2. Articulate a clear definition of education that goes beyond schools and classrooms Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze factors that influence individuals’ decisions about sustainability-related action Audience: Undergraduate 4. Describe how social structure and social context shapes sustainability-related action, and describe how some factors relevant to sustainability can only be seen and changed at the community level Audience: Undergraduate 5. Identify educational strategies that can be used to make change at the individual and community level, and understand the advantages and limitations of different educational perspectives Audience: Undergraduate 6. Explain how and why some environmental projects come at the expense of poor, minoritized and otherwise vulnerable groups of people Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
Catalogue variants
- EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES · 3 credits.