EDU21100

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is important for educators who intend to incorporate environmental awareness and action into their teaching. The definition of environmental education will be examined and refined by comparing it to other related fields such as experiential education, adventure education, and science education. Students will explore the theoretical and philosophical framework of environmental education and seek to understand the relationship to disciplines which inform the field: environmental studies, education, psychology, political science, fine arts, language arts, history, performance studies, etc. Students will also inventory various methods, curricula and techniques currently used by environmental educators and evaluate them against criteria which screen for developmental appropriateness, learner needs, and cultural sensitivity. After observing in a variety of local educational settings, students will apply environmental education theory by developing integrated thematic units which can be implemented during subsequent methods courses.