Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-k7p5g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T00:25:01.789Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Balancing the Disciplines: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Sustainability Curriculum Content

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Kate Sherren
Kate Sherren*
Affiliation:
The Australian National University
*
†Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Building 43 (Biology Place), The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Email: kate@cres.anu.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper explores appropriate disciplinary content for generalist sustainability degrees, based on two recent surveys. A questionnaire was used to extract from a multidisciplinary, largely academic audience – all of whom share an interest in sustainability – their views as to the disciplinary knowledge that a university-based sustainability education should include. This was undertaken because the current focus in sustainability education literature on generic skills and pedagogical method provides little insight to assist curriculum developers with disciplinary content. While the sample was limited, respondents came from a diverse group of disciplines and thus supply a broad perspective to curriculum design. Recommended teaching methods were also captured, for both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as the academic backgrounds of the participants for the purposes of investigating bias. The findings were compared with curricula from existing Australian coursework programs and showed that a slight rebalancing towards the human sphere is necessary.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 21 , 2005 , pp. 97 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Research Council (ARC) (1998). Australian standard research classification 1297.0: Research fields, courses and disciplines. Retrieved December 7, 2005 from http://www.arc.gov.au/htm/RFCD_codes.htm Google Scholar
Blewitt, J. (2004). Sustainability and lifelong learning. In Blewitt, J. & Cullingford, C. (Eds.), The sustainability curriculum: The challenge for higher education (pp. 24–42). Sterling, VA; Earthscan.Google Scholar
Bosselmann, K. (2001). University and sustainability: Compatible agendas? Educational Philosophy and Theory, 33, 167–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Environment Australia (1999). Today shapes tomorrow: Environmental education for a sustainable future. Canberra: Government of Australia.Google Scholar
Fien, J. (2004, 29 09 – 1 October, 2004). The Tao of Prius, Keynote address presented at the 4th Australasian Conference of Sustainable Campuses, Griffith University EcoCentre, Brisbane, QLD.Google Scholar
Foster, J. (2001). Education as sustainability. Environmental Education Research, 7, 153–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jickling, B. (2001). Environmental thought, the language of sustainability, and digital watches. Environmental Education Research, 7, 167–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lautensach, A. (2004). A tertiary curriculum for sustainability. Online Proceedings of the Australian Association of Research in Education Conference, held in Melbourne, Australia. http://www.aare.edu.au/04pap/LAU04260.pdf.Google Scholar
Leal Filho, W., & Wright, T. S. A. (2002). Barriers on the path to sustainability: European and Canadian perspectives in higher education. Proceedings of EMSU2002 Online www.ru.ac.za/environment/emsu/2002/proceedings.pdf Google Scholar
Noonan, D., & Thomas, I. (2004). Greening universities in Australia: Progress and possibilities. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 20(2), 67–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherren, K. (in press). Core issues: Reflections on sustainability in Australian university coursework programs. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.Google Scholar
Sherren, K., & Robin, L. (in press). A Curriculum for a Cause? In Filho, W. Leal & Carpenter, D. (Eds.), Advances in sustainability in Australasian tertiary sector. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Tilbury, D. (2004). Rising to the challenge: Education for sustainability in Australia. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 20(2), 103–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, Association of (ULSF) (1990). Talloires Declaration. http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires_td.html Google Scholar