GDEV 5223 - Lifelong Learning, Just Sustainability and Learning Ecosystems

(crosslisted) EDUC 5223, LEAD 5223
(CU-CEL, CU-SBY)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: experience in design and facilitation in one of these areas- nonformal education, asset-based development, community-based arts, participatory action research or public sociology/anthropology. May be repeated for credit.

A. Raymer.

Running shoes are not required, yet we are in training for a marathon. In this course we’re enhancing our knowledgebase, toolbox, mindset and resilience as we take up a contest unprecedented in human history— inclusive and just sustainability. Part race against the clock, part design challenge and part performance test, Team Humanity needs all of us to be informed, prepared, and in the game. Having teammates to train with nudges us to keep going as we learn with and from partners, communities and action leaders in this grand challenge. We examine five major concepts and explore their mutual generativity as we look for leverage points of system change: just sustainability; lifelong learning; place; learning ecosystems and social competencies for collective leadership and learning.

Outcome 1: Investigate and apply theories and practices of five core concepts central to the course: Lifelong learning, place and placemaking, inclusive “Just Sustainability”, community as ecosystem of learning; learning cities/learning localities, collective intelligence, and collaborative social action for sustainability.

Outcome 2: Work in real-world sustainability endeavors at multiple scales (local, national, & international) through collaborative undertakings (both as a class and independently).

Outcome 3: Develop further as a learning-centered leader by serving in a mutual, co-learning partnership as the educational mentor with an adult learner.

Outcome 4: Recognize, and engaged with, a variety of policy actors, practice networks and action arenas germane to lifelong learning and sustainability.

Outcome 5: Deepen own experiential knowledge of component elements of learning cities through engagement in local and wider settings at three levels: self, self with another, and self with multiple others.

Outcome 6: Increase own sustainability literacy.