Motivation to Teach Social Action:
In a moment of polycrises (converging and mutually enforcing crises), I find myself and students increasingly feeling hopeless about productive, creative, and energizing ways to move forward that can affect positive change. I am interested in both learning myself and with students on how to find pathways of hopeful, practical optimism that can inspire those around us to be catalyst of positive change!
Course Description:
This is a globally situated course that interrogates the intersection of our changing climate system alongside wider development processes, goals, and outcomes in the context and era of the Anthropocene. In this way, we will look at the ways in which climate and the natural environment presents both challenges and opportunities for the projects and pathways of development. To accomplish this understanding, we will engage the rich (and problematic) history, politics, and practices of development to best situate the current era of contemporary development and its intersections changing climate conditions. We specifically engage the social drivers of climate change, climate impacts on society and nature, as well as solutions and responses. While we will not be able to survey all topics related to climate and development, the goal of this course is to provide students with a rich overview, while also equipping you with the intellectual and academic tools to approach such issues in your future careers.
Topics include (but not limited to): fundamental climate science, development, sustainable development, degrowth, post-growth, adaptation, vulnerability, resilience, transformation, climate resilient development, policy, migration, conflict, and responsibility/culpability.
This course is designed to be an introduction to the topics of Climate & Development with no prerequisites, however, as an upper division course we move at a faster pace than that of introductory, lower division course. The course combines a variety of source material (e.g., academic articles, grey literatures, and media) with a specific focus on international scholars and public figures. All course materials can be found in our course Folio site – Welcome to the journey!
Taught By:
Helen Rosko
Assistant Professor
School of Earth Environment and Sustainability
Georgia Southern University
Read profile here.