CDAE 195/ESCI 375Applications of Sustainable DevelopmentSpring, 2009January 12-May 2, 2009I. Contact InformationInstructor: Jay AshmanOffice hours: Tuesday/Thursday 1-2:30 and by appointmentTelephone: 666-4375 e-mail: [email protected] Learning Coordinator: Kaela Gray: 665-8190 e-mail [email protected] Teaching Assistants: Alex Hemmer and Kayla Grant Location: Seminar Room 2 and project sitesClass Meeting Time: Tuesday/Thursday 4:30-6:00 and as necessary for projectsII. Course OverviewThis course addresses the issues of sustainable development in a developing country using a problem-based learning approach. In cooperation with local partners, students will carry out projects that address problems related to sustainable development. In twice-weekly classes during the first three weeks of the semester we will study important background information about Belize as well as introductory concepts of sustainable development. During that time we will also do preparatory work for our field projects. You will spend the majority of the semester working on your project, drafting your final report, and preparing your oral presentation to your project partners.Problem solving courses are different from traditional courses. While traditional academics in universities tend to study disciplines, people in the real world face real world problems. Problems do not respect the artificial boundaries of disciplines, and complex problems can rarely be understood from within the narrow framework of a single discipline. In addition to the skills of disciplinary analysis, this course will focus on the skills of interdisciplinary synthesis, and the communication of results to decision makers who can use them. Another difference between problem solving courses and traditional courses is the role of the instructor. In a traditional lecture course the instructor has all the answers. Students are expected to learn what the professor already knows and spit it back in an exam. In a problem solving course the instructor does not have all the answers--if he or she did, there wouldn't be a problem to solve! This approach is sometimes difficult for both students and faculty. Solving problems can be frustrating. Finding the right approach can be difficult, and information may be hard to find and facts may conflict. More than in most courses, you will have to show initiative and rely on your own resources. Your instructor will be there to guide you and encourage you, but not to give you the answers.III. Course Objectives/Learning GoalsIn a service learning course, the projects selected are generally based on the "learning goals" the instructor has established for the course. So it is common practice to establish goals common to the entire class clearly at the outset. However, it is also possible to allow students to establish their own project-specific learning goals and not unheard of to select projects first and build learning goals around those projects. So we're going to set forth a wide range of possible goals and plan to negotiate and revise these over the course of the semester. Learning Goals Common to All Projects:1. Understand the basic principles of sustainable development in the specific context of Belize2. Understand the problems of poverty in a developing country3. Develop critical thinking/interdisciplinary problem solving skills4. Develop effective communication skills to help translate research into action5. Learn skills necessary to work effectively in groups6. Demonstrate personal growth through clarification of values7. Increase sense of social responsibility and appreciation for diversity8. Learn how career choices may be viewed or practiced in different cultural contexts.IV. ReadingThe textbook for the course is Taking Stock: Belize at 25 Years on Independence. Edited by two Galen faculty members, with chapters written by experts in their fields in Belize, it is a very valuable source of information about Belize, and in particular the sustainable development issues facing Belize. All other reading assignments are online and linked from the Schedule, below. This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: I expect you to have carefully read all assigned reading before coming to class.V. Course RequirementsPapers: All papers (and presentations) are due no later than noon on the due date so that I have time to read at least some of them before class. Please send an electronic copy as an e-mail attachment so that I can keep all your work in one place. Please also bring a hard copy to class. If you have technical limitations and can’t send an e-mail attachment, you can print them out and bring them to class.Attendance: Attendance is mandatory and failure to attend class will substantially impact your grade. Official Galen policy states that students will fail or be withdrawn from a course if they miss 20% of the classes. Students will be responsible for initiating their projects under the guidance of the instructor and service learning coordinator. We will be there to assist (and prod when necessary!) but responsibility for moving your projects forward will be yours. Because the ultimate goal of this course is to contribute to addressing real issues and we will have made promises (in the form of a contract!) to our project partners, we expect students to be conscientiously devoted to this pursuit.Weekly check-ins: Once you begin work on your projects we will not meet as a class every class period. However, you should plan on meeting withyour group or working on your project independently on such occasions. Your group will be required to submit weekly reports indicating progress on your project during the week and anticipated goals for the coming week.Presentations: Your presentations, both preliminary and final, should include Powerpoint slides. You may either send them to Kaela (Gray) as an attachment, or give her a flash drive from which to copy the Powerpoint.Final Presentations: The last step in the problem solving process, communication, is every bit as important as the preliminary steps. You are going to be making presentations to your project partners and others on the results of your work at the end of the semester. So it's important for you to have effective presentation skills. During the course of the semester we'll be working together on your speaking skills and your use of presentation software. Format for Presentations1. Introduction/Problem