Criteria for Course Inclusion

Students will seek out and recognize relevant sources of information; will be able to interpret and question norms, practices and opinions; will reflect on their own values, perceptions and actions; and will consciously seek to develop and refine their personal environmental ethic. Students will be able to negotiate environmental values, principles, goals, and targets in the context of conflicts of interests and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge, and contradictions and will take an informed position in environmental ethics discourse.

Students will be able to recognize and understand complex interactions of systems; analyze and evaluate various systems to inform decision-making; deal with uncertainty when making decisions; and understand that a complex web of interactions in social and ecological networks affects the distribution and flow of resources through systems.

Students will be able to reflect on their own role in the local community and global society; will have the ability to be effective and productive contributors in collaborative relationships; communicate with diverse audiences in relevant ways; and value the diverse perspectives, expertise, and experience of others; will be able to diagnose challenges and identify potential partnerships; to understand that power is often not distributed equally but that their individual voice is powerful as well as the ability to empower others in collaborative problem-solving.

Students will be able to understand and evaluate multiple possible futures, probable and desirable; to create their own vision of the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of action; to deal with risk and change; and to embrace adaptation when necessary.

Students will be able to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex environmental problems and develop viable, inclusive, and equitable solutions that promote ethical, sustainable development and integrate the other competencies. Students will recognize that when faced with a conflict, it is imperative to keep a process moving forward through negotiation and dispute resolution; to recognize unproductive actions (denial, scapegoating, etc.) and be able to reframe issues; and identify common ground among diverse perspectives.