Reimagining Sustainability: The Value of Non-Western Perspectives

ENVIRON 707

The goal of the class is to share non-Western perspectives with students that can then be applied to real life sustainability challenges both individually and collectively.

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What you can learn.

Understand our interconnectedness and interdependence with nature and the world around us
Examine the inextricable relationship between racism and environmental destruction
Study the value of a long-term orientation and cross-generational relationships
Gain appreciation for the importance of incorporating a more holistic, non-Western (vs. analytic and Western) perspective on sustainability

About this course:

In this seminar, we will discuss non-Western perspectives on the idea of sustainability and what it means to coexist with and as a part of nature. We will briefly explore the historical relationship between colonialism and Western environmentalism to understand its origins and how it diverges from non-Western perspectives. We will then examine how indigenous and non-Western perspectives and practices can inform and help us rethink the way we approach sustainability. The goal of the class is to share non-Western perspectives with students that can then be applied to real life sustainability challenges both individually and collectively.