TEACHING SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SYNTHESIS WITH CASE STUDIES
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) invites participants for a four-day short course on Teaching Socio-Environmental Synthesis with Case Studies. The course will be held July 15-18, 2014, at SESYNC in Annapolis, MD. We seek a diverse group of participants, including faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from both the social and natural sciences. Participants should have a strong interest in learning about and teaching socio-environmental synthesis (S-E synthesis) and be willing to commit to writing a case study related to S-E synthesis. For complete details, visit: www.sesync.org/opportunities/short-courses/teaching-ses BACKGROUND Preparing students to tackle urgent and complex environmental problems is a critical challenge. Problems such as global climate change, water resource management, and sustainable development are dynamic, complex problems that require interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to solve. Socio-environmental synthesis (S-E synthesis) is a problem-solving approach that considers the integrated nature of the environment and human society, and combines insights, methods, and data from the natural and social sciences to produce knowledge and inform solutions. The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) is dedicated to educating about this approach and its broad relevance, and to teaching the core concepts and competencies necessary to understand, research, and address socio-environmental problems. The goals of this short course are to: Introduce participants to S-E synthesis as a problem-solving approach. Engage participants in advancing the teaching of S-E synthesis and related concepts and competencies. Enable participants to use case-based teaching approaches such as the case study method, a powerful and effective teaching approach, to teach S-E synthesis. Support participants in developing their own case study classroom activity that can be used in their classrooms and shared on the SESYNC website. COSTS Registration fees are $250 for faculty and $100 for graduate students and postdocs. Flights and hotel costs for non-local participants will be pre-paid by SESYNC in accordance with our travel policies. All eligible travel expenses (e.g., meals and ground transportation) will be reimbursed by SESYNC upon receipt of a completed S-E synthesis case study that can be shared online. All participants are expected to create a case study focused on S-E synthesis. APPLY Visit www.sesync.org/opportunities/short-courses/teaching-ses for complete details. Applications should be submitted by March 28, 2014, for best consideration.
