Taught By:
Lily House-Peters
Associate Professor
Geography Department
California State University, Long Beach
Read profile here.
Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I am very dedicated to experiential learning in the courses that I teach and I believe strongly in integrating social action into my pedagogy. Primarily, I have done this so far through integrating service learning in my courses, as well as field trips and field work that brings students into direct contact with local communities. Service learning has been an awesome way to build civic education and community mutual aid and service into my pedagogy. However, given the extreme times that we are experiencing politically, the ability to directly engage students in social action, in particular teaching students the skills to take an active role in democracy and positive change is highly compelling to me. I also see this semester how hungry students are to learn how to become changemakers, as they are frustrated and do not know proactive ways to respond to the attacks on democracy, climate, community, public resources, etc. I would love to have the opportunity to learn how to incorporate social action campaigns into my course and to provide students with these transformative and life long skills. I am also a union leader on my campus and work with our student interns (Students for a Quality Education) who are fierce leaders and activists, but would also gain so much by learning the skills that go into a social action campaign.
Course Description:
The overarching goal of the course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and real-world experience to critically evaluate complex social and ecological problems stemming from environmental/climatic change and assess competing alternative solutions, paying close attention to intersections with and implications for social justice and environmental justice. As part of the course, students work in project teams to conduct engaged community-based research projects with partner organizations focused on local issues and questions at the intersection of sustainability and social justice. Experiential and active modes of learning are central to the class, with the goal of creating a learning environment that allows students to see and experience the relationship between theory and real-world conditions. Central to the course is the development and enhancement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills and the promotion of civic engagement and personal empowerment.
