Teaching Sustainable Cities with the 3 E’s: Experiential, Empathic, and Ethical Approaches

• In Event: 3423 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 7: Teaching the Sociology of Environment and Health

Abstract

Today’s cities are growing in unprecedented and distinct ways from historical patterns, posing new challenges for human societies and the environment (Seto et al., 2010). Due to the complex systems of cities, sustainability is a “wicked problem” in which one solution may introduce a new set of problems (Pollack, 2016; Rittel and Webber, 1973). Interdisciplinary approaches and experiential learning are vital for training students to address urban sustainability challenges (Li et al., 2018). However, many Sociology and Urban Studies courses do not equip students to successfully learn these skills. New approaches are needed to meet the pedagogical needs of its students and to teach sustainable cities for audiences beyond a single discipline.

This presentation discusses Sustainable Cities, a university service-learning course offered through an undergraduate Urban Studies degree program, in which students learn and work collaboratively with government agencies and community organizations to support their sustainability goals through project-based work. Student enrollment has increased 127% over the last seven years and has attracted students from Urban Studies, Computer Science, Public Policy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Human Biology, Law, and Business.

The course aims to (1) build a common language and shared understanding of sustainable cities across disciplines, (2) present a holistic framework of sustainability through the Four Pillars of Sustainability defined as environmental protection, economic vitality, social equity, and cultural continuity, (3) enable students to learn the tradeoffs between the four pillars by engaging in a real-world project on issues ranging from transportation, climate adaptation, economic development, and housing, and (4) prepare students with both technical and soft skill such as data collection and analysis, teamwork, and cultural competency. To accomplish these objectives, students use the 3 E’s: experiential, empathic and ethical approaches to their work.

The presentation will be useful to Sociology and Urban Studies faculty looking to create or refine community-engaged learning offerings that can attract students from the humanities and social sciences fields, as well as students from non-social science disciplines.

Author

• Deland Chan, Program on Urban Studies