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| Dal student Haylan Jackson and Professor Claire Campbell. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
Students are sprouting up from all over to help make the world a better place through ±«Óătv’s new Environment, Sustainability and Society (ESS) program. Offered through the College of Sustainability, the program has gone from idea to reality in just a year and is at full capacity for its inaugural semester with just over 300 students registered for SUST 1000.
Faculty members with the College of Sustainability were hoping to attract 150 students this semester and reach the 300 mark by the third year. Obviously, they’ve eclipsed that. Those involved are thrilled with the interest and believe it speaks to what today’s students want to get from their education.
“The program was driven by a sense of desire, from students, faculty, staff and administration who all wanted to make a difference,” says Steven Mannell, director of the College of Sustainability. “Students want their education to make a difference, not just for them, but their communities, to work together to make things better.”
Haylan Jackson, a third-year history major enrolled in ESS, was thrilled to see an environmental program that arts faculty and students could be part of. “Sustainability affects so many aspects of living and will only continue to,” she says. “I found it interesting that a history professor could help teaching a sustainability course, and I wanted to be a part of it … It’s not just for science students.”
ESS is offered as a double major in conjunction with architecture and planning, arts, computer science, engineering, management or sciences. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the creative methods of the program.
ESS features a new, innovative style of teaching where multiple professors from different disciplines teach the same class at the same time. Rather than a typical lecture, for example, a biologist, an historian and an architect (or other combinations) will lead the class in discussion, fostering debate and participation from both faculty and students.Â
“It is going to make science students consider the opinions of arts students and vice versa,” explains Ms. Jackson. “I’m very excited for the opportunities ±«Óătv is creating for students from every faculty.”
Claire Campbell, professor of history and is feeling a combination of butterflies and goose bumps as the semester kicks off.
“I’m excited about getting in the classroom, but it’s also somewhat scary in a good way,” says Dr. Campbell. “I teach, but this is unlike anything I’ve done before.”
Dr. Campbell emphasizes the program asks students to pair their desired career with ESS teaching. “If you always wanted to be an architect, we need you to be an architect, one who’ll go out into the world with this kind of open mind.”
Given the style of teaching, Prof. Mannell says that at times, faculty will become students and students will become teachers. “We’ll be learning how different disciplines approach different subjects and research and posing questions we may not yet have answers for,” he says. “Everyone will have different perspectives for each issue.”
Above all, students can expect a fun atmosphere. “There should be lots of laughs,” says Dr, Campbell. “This is an experiment in teaching. If researchers learn from experiments, we’re all going to learn a lot about teaching,” says Dr. Campbell.
“Of course, this will be one big learning experience,” says Ms. Jackson. “But it makes me proud to see Dal taking such big steps towards the future of sustainability.”
The College of Sustainability welcomes the public to join students for Thursday evening sessions of SUST 1000, featuring a range of provocative guest speakers.