Spring 2008

T/Th 4:00-5:15pm Lecture - 3 Credits

Thompson 104

Introduction

The world you will enter upon graduation offers the highest material standard of living ever known to humankind. At the same time, most natural resource-based systems on the planet, from food production and energy management to waste handling and industrial processing are depleting natural resources, generating conditions that result in social unrest, and directly endangering human and non-human life. We now have the challenge of re-imagining and re-creating these systems in ways that are less dependent on nonrenewable resources, no longer consume renewable resources at non-sustainable use rates, nor cause harm to people or the natural world. This class will introduce you to these global challenges, while helping you to learn about practical solutions that may be implemented in your daily life. This class is explicitly dedicated to helping you make personal and professional decisions that support the interrelated objectives of sustainability; economic viability, environmental integrity, and social equity.

Education for sustainability will help you prepare for both a sustainable life and a sustainable livelihood. This course is intended for students from diverse academic disciplines. For some of you, this will be the only class you ever take in which you ask the critical question “how do we live well?” For others, it may be the introduction to an academic path in which you integrate the quest for sustainability into your own major. For a few of you, sustainability studies may indeed become your major area of study. You are all welcome and you are all needed to do this important work.

Syllabus

Primary Instructor: Dr. John Gerber, Professor of Plant Sciences and Sustainability Studies; 308 Bowditch; 545-5301; jgerber@psis.umass.edu

Class Format: Two 75-minute lectures/discussions.

Web Access: Web access is required to complete homework assignments.

·  All homework must be submitted via WebCT SPARK at…  http://spark.oit.umass.edu

·  If you do not have an OIT account, see…  http://www.oit.umass.edu/accounts/index.html.

Student Learning Objectives

· To understand global challenges to sustainability from economic, environmental and social perspectives.

· To understand the impact of personal decisions on local, regional, national and global sustainability.

· To increase awareness of alternatives to current practices that impact long-term sustainability.

· To evaluate your personal life goals and practice decision-making tools to move toward these goals.

· To change personal behavior consistent with your personal life goals.

Description of Expectations and Grading

Students taking the lecture class for credit will be expected to:

· Attend the lectures on a regular basis.

· Complete the homework assignments and submit them on time.

There are no examinations in this class. Your grade will be based entirely upon your successful completion of weekly homework assignments. Homework will be due on Thursday of each week and will not be accepted late (SPARK will close down at midnight the day the homework is due). Each homework will be reviewed and graded by the instructor or one of the Teaching Assistants. Several homework assessments will be graded online by SPARK. Your final grade will be based on the cumulative number of points earned for the homework assignments over the semester. For more on grading see: Grading Homeworks and Final Grade.

If you have any questions, please contact John Gerber at jgerber@psis.umass.edu, call 545-5301 or stop by 308 Bowditch Hall.