This document very briefly explores how our new curriculum can better prepare our students to address the environmental or ecological crisis that humankind is facing. The curriculum should reflect Furman’s Strategic Plan, which includes the following strategic goal: "Furman University will strengthen its commitment to the environment by promoting the concept of sustainability through educational programs, environmentally sensitive campus operations and construction practices, and public awareness initiatives." The first initiative under this goal is: Ensure the curriculum reflects Furman’s commitment to sustainability. Sustainability simply put means satisfying the basic needs of people for food, for clean air and water, and shelter into the indefinite future. A sustainable society would do this without depleting or degrading Earth’s natural resources–our natural capital.
First Goal: The curriculum must foster our connectedness to
Earth, not in a theoretical or remote senses, but in a real sense and
indeed to our particular patch of Earth here in the Upstate. By forging
that connectedness we can inspire love for the planet so that we will,
in Stephen Jay Gould’s words, “fight to save it.” How to achieve this goal:
Have a true January term or May semester, with students participating
in two or three of four possible terms. Why not make one of these terms
an environmental immersion? One example: 1) River systems
immersion—students live on the river, swim in it, drink from it,
canoe it, trace it to its headwaters, observe its daily changes, study
the geology of sediment, channel and bank/floodplain, study its
wildlife and aquatic flora and fauna, listen to it, write poetry about
it, read literature related to and inspired by rivers, use natural
materials in the river system for artistic expression or as the subject
for painting or photography, talk to folks who live along the river
about its history and economic importance, study the politics of water
use for the region, think about the philosophic and religious meaning
of water and waters relation to life and life’s origin, measure
the flow rate and study the mathematics of turbulent and laminar flow;
the list is endless, encompassing all of the traditional
“disciplines.”
Second Goal: The curriculum must foster a sense of world
citizenship and responsibility for the global commons. We need to make
sure our students realize how utterly dependent they are on “the
services of nature” and on other life forms, from the simple to
the complex. How to achieve this goal: Have a palette of
Environmental (E) courses that define and discuss sustainability and
make the clear connection between lifestyle and environmental health. E
courses aren’t necessarily science courses, but they must address
sustainability regardless of the context. Students would be required to
take at least one E course, and the course may also meet a requirement
in science, social science, humanities, etc.
Third Goal: The curriculum must foster interdisciplinary thinking and break down the barriers that separate narrow disciplines and departments. The curriculum must look at the big picture and ask the important questions, focus on the causes of the human condition in the broader context of the Earth system, rather than just studying the symptoms. I agree with David Orr when he writes, “The great ecological issues of our time have to do in one way or another with our failure to see things in their entirety.” Fewer GERs will provide students with the opportunity to take more elective courses and allow faculty (free from teaching so many GERs) to be creative in offering interdisciplinary electives, which offer a broader perspective.
Posted by love at November 1, 2004 11:20 AM