Santa Clara University’s Center for Sustainability hosts this annual workshop on how to teach about sustainability in any discipline. The workshop is for faculty members from SCU and other universities who are planning to include a module on sustainability in an existing course or to develop a new course focused entirely on sustainability. SCU is a national Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum affiliated with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Agenda: The workshop will help participants draw inspiration from multiple visions of sustainability, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, academic associations in their field, and their schools’ mission. (An optional module for faculty members from Jesuit institutions will draw links to Ignatian pedagogy and Catholic social teaching on sustainability and justice.) Modules will also explore teaching environmental justice issues, how to use the campus as a living lab for experiential and project-based learning about sustainability, as well as options for community-based learning. Exercises will help faculty to begin drafting their learning goals, focal questions for students, and activities. Participants will leave with resources on designing sustainability curriculum and assignments in all fields.
Deadline: Applications are due by April 16, 2021. Applicants will be notified about acceptance by May 3, 2021. Applications are found here.
Date: The workshop begins with a synchronous online orientation on June 21, 9:30 - 10:45 AM. Thereafter, participants can complete the 6-8 hours of material asynchronously any time between June 21 - July 2, and will receive feedback from workshop leaders. It will not be possible to participate outside this two week window.
Cost: $100 for non-SCU participants. A limited number of scholarships for faculty members coping with budget cuts may be available.
Facilitators: The workshop will be taught by SCU faculty members Chad Raphael (Professor and former Chair, Department of Communication) and Leslie Gray (Professor and former Chair, Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences), as well as the Director of SCU’s Center for Sustainability, Lindsey Kalkbrenner.
Chad and Leslie have over 40 years combined experience in teaching, leading undergraduate research projects, and designing campus-based and community-based learning about sustainability. Under Lindsey’s leadership of initiatives across campus operations, education, and community outreach, SCU has earned top rankings for sustainability from AASHE, the Princeton Review, and the Sierra Club.
Contact: Please contact sustainability@scu.edu with any questions.