Teaching Sustainability through Activism: The Greening University Projects

Abstract

This class project asks students to work in small groups to "green" some aspect of their university or college, applying theory and course concepts to the process of making environmental change in the world around them. The project entails writing a proposal, working to implement that proposal, and reporting to other class members the process and outcome.

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Environmental Sociology

Resource Type(s):

Assignment

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Medium

Usage Notes

This project is meant to run the entire time-span of a course. Ideally, it should be started within the first week of the term, with presentations and reports due in the last week, and various benchmark activities due at key intervals. I have run it on both a semester and quarter system. For maximum effectiveness, a few class sessions should periodically...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Enhance student capacity for problem solving and critical thinking
2. Apply sociological insight to the process of creating positive change in the world
3. Build students' overall competency in sustainability

Goal Assessment(s):

1. The Proposal, Action Plan, and Progress Report are how students explain how they account for various stakeholders, resources available, university needs, social processes they must navigate, and challenges they may face. (Goals 1 & 2)
2. The Progress Report in particular is a way to assess how they navigated problems that developed during the project and present how they used sociological insights to navigate both forseen and unexpected problems. (Goals 1 & 2)
3. Evidence of Goal 3 can be seen in the Action Plan, but since it should reinforce other aspects of the course, it also will likely tie to other course assessments (i.e., exams) and activities (i.e., class discussions).