2011 journal article
College and University Environmental Programs as a Policy Problem (Part 2): Strategies for Improvement
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, 47(5), 716–726.
author keywords: Environmental studies; Environmental sciences; Environmental education; Interdisciplinary education; Human dignity; Sustainability; Problem-solving skills; Leadership
MeSH headings : Ecology / education; Ecology / trends; Humans; Interdisciplinary Studies; Universities
TL;DR:
It is recommended that environmental programs re-organize around three principles: adopt as an overriding goal the concept of human dignity—defined as freedom and social justice in healthy, sustainable environments, which captures the human and environmental aspirations of the EPM.
(via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
4. Quality Education
(Web of Science)
13. Climate Action
(OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018
Environmental studies and environmental sciences programs in American and Canadian colleges and universities seek to ameliorate environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. In a companion article (Part 1) we describe the environmental program movement (EPM) and discuss factors that have hindered its performance. Here, we complete our analysis by proposing strategies for improvement. We recommend that environmental programs re-organize around three principles. First, adopt as an overriding goal the concept of human dignity-defined as freedom and social justice in healthy, sustainable environments. This clear higher-order goal captures the human and environmental aspirations of the EPM and would provide a more coherent direction for the efforts of diverse participants. Second, employ an explicit, genuinely interdisciplinary analytical framework that facilitates the use of multiple methods to investigate and address environmental and social problems in context. Third, develop educational programs and applied experiences that provide students with the technical knowledge, powers of observation, critical thinking skills and management acumen required for them to become effective professionals and leaders. Organizing around these three principles would build unity in the EPM while at the same time capitalizing on the strengths of the many disciplines and diverse local conditions involved.