2015 Conference

Full Presentation Panel

Traditionally, environmental and social problems have been artificially siloed into bounded, separate topics in both scientific investigation and academic training.  However, the scientific community is increasingly supporting the idea that addressing threats to environmental systems requires increased understanding of both the biophysical and social components of those systems as well as the connections between the components. This necessitates nurturing future researchers and resource managers who understand the complexities and connections in our environmental systems, which is challenging for universities and teachers to incorporate into their curricula. As universities evolve to tackle the pedagogical challenges of teaching complex social-environmental systems across a spectrum of majors and students, many teachers and programs are seeking tools for effectively teaching those challenges. The need for these tools was the basis for teaching workshops held in 2013 and 2014 through the National Social-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in which university instructors from a range of biophysical and social sciences were brought together to learn about and design case studies for teaching social ecological synthesis. Participants in these workshops have contributed more than 32 case studies to SESYNC, all of which are publicly available, and many of which have been pilot-tested in classrooms throughout the United States.

In this panel, the case studies that were developed for SESYNC will be discussed.  The first presentation will provide a backdrop on the salience of social-environmental systems in both research and classrooms.  The following presentations will be from participants in the 2014 workshop who piloted the case studies within their classrooms. These case studies cover a range of specific environmental topics and teaching methods, but all highlight the value of emphasizing the integrated nature of social-environmental systems. The presenters will provide insights into the successes, challenges, and opportunities for developing and using the case studies within their programs. 

Enhancing student understanding of socio-environmental systems with interdisciplinary synthesis and case studies,Cynthia Wei (National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), cwei@sesync.org)

Socio-environmental synthesis (S-E synthesis) is a research approach aimed at advancing understanding of socio-environmental systems in which environmental problems are embedded. It is also a problem-solving approach that recognizes the integrated nature of social and environmental problems and emphasizes that interdisciplinary (and transdisciplinary) research across the natural and social sciences is required to address such issues. As such, S-E synthesis is a topic that fits well in many courses, particularly within environmental studies and sciences. Reflecting the complex nature of the S-E systems being studied, S-E synthesis involves learning a broad suite of concepts and competencies, many of which are often difficult to teach and assess. Critical amongst these is an understanding of the structure, function, and behavior of S-E systems. While students may quickly grasp that natural and social systems are connected, understanding the nature of these connections and their dynamics can be challenging. One promising teaching approach to address such challenges is the case study method. This pedagogy has a long history in medical, law, business, and science fields, and efforts are underway to adapt it for use in teaching about environmental issues and S-E synthesis. By focusing on relevant, real-world examples, the case study approach can help students to grasp and apply S-E synthesis concepts such as S-E system dynamics in a more tangible way. Teaching with case studies also incorporates the complexity and disciplinary diversity of authentic environmental issues and challenges students to question and problem-solve as researchers do. Typically taught using a variety of active learning methods, the case study approach is also an evidence-based teaching practice that effectively enhances student learning. This panel will highlight several case studies focused on teaching S-E synthesis concepts and competencies and will discuss common challenges, strategies, best practices, and available resources for teaching with case studies.

Using system maps to analyze complex social-environmental issues: A case study of geoduck aquaculture in the Puget Sound, Kate Mulvaney (kate.mulvaney@gmail.com), Simone Pulver (University of California, Santa Barbarapulver@es.ucsb.edu), Clare Ryan (University of Washington, cmryan@uw.edu), and Yen-Chu Weng (University of Washington,yweng@uw.edu)

This case provides a framework and tools for teaching students to analyze and understand complex socio-environmental systems, using geoduck aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest as an example system. The goals of this case study are for students to apply the socio-environmental system framework to understand geoduck aquaculture, and also, more importantly, to be able to apply it to other social-environmental issues. Geoduck (giant clam, Panopea generosa) aquaculture was chosen because it is a complex social-environmental issue in the Puget Sound with ongoing management considerations. Specific concerns have centered on aspects of aquaculture that may disturb ecological communities, habitats, and ecosystem processes. The issue is complicated by a complex permitting process, limited scientific information to guide decision making, and vocal public opposition to certain aspects of geoduck farming. As geoduck aquaculture is local to the Pacific Northwest and parts of the western coast of California, a more localized example may be more appropriate for courses in other parts of the country, but many of the activities and core teaching methods would be appropriate across most contexts.

Teaching methods for this case study include an introduction to social-environmental synthesis, systems thinking and CMAP software, so that students are able to identify, understand, and visualize basic social-environmental systems. The case also integrates the use of problem/solution trees and the evaluation of ongoing management proposals. The skills developed for understanding geoduck aquaculture are then applied to a topic of the students’ choosing. Components of this case have been used in several universities across the country, as methods were adapted for local relevance and academic level. We found an overall positive reception to the case study from students and an improved understanding of social-ecological systems, but we also identified the need for ongoing support for students as they develop their own social-ecological system work.

Critical thinking using a socio-environmental framework, Simone Pulver (University of California, Santa Barbarapulver@es.ucsb.edu)

John Dewey once said, “We only think when we are confronted with a problem.”  This presentation describes using a socio-environmental system case study to develop critical thinking skills about environmental problems and solutions.  The learning outcomes of the case study are: 1) to train students to identify key components and relationships between components in a socio-environmental system; 2) to understand how feedback loops drive system dynamics; and 3) to create problem and solution trees to identify key leverage points for intervening in a system.  The skills related to these student learning outcomes were demonstrated in class using a socio-environmental system framework to analyze the problem of e-waste.  As the final course project, students worked in small groups to complete a system analysis and intervention plan, based on a topic of their choosing. Topics ranged from biodiversity conservation in the Amazon to the decommissioning of oil platforms off the Santa Barbara coastline. 

Designing an Urban Green Infrastructure Network: Balancing Biodiversity and Stakeholder Needs, Emilie Stander (Emilie Stander, Raritan Valley Community College, emilie.stander@raritanval.edu) and Myla Aronson (Rutgers University, myla.aronson@rutgers.edu)

In an increasingly urban world, the sustainability and resiliency of human settlements depends on our ability to understand and manage urban landscapes as socio-environmental systems. This case draws students into these issues by putting them in the role of environmental managers charged with protecting species of conservation interest in urban landscapes. In groups, students design a green infrastructure network to conserve one particular species across a network of parks, open spaces and natural areas that act as hubs and corridors. Students choose from a set of potential sites in a particular geography to establish new parks and/or restore degraded natural areas or vacant lots within a given budget limit and addressing stakeholder concerns and needs at different scales. Then groups are rearranged so that each contains one member of each original single species groups. The multiple species groups redesign the network to protect all of the species simultaneously. This requires the students to balance the sometimes opposing biophysical requirements of different species while still addressing stakeholder interests, forcing them to explore the scientific, political, economic, and social realities associated with natural resources management and land use planning in human dominated landscapes. Students demonstrate their understanding of social-environmental synthesis through concept mapping, collaborative presentations and written reports, and individual reflective writing. A pilot test of the case during fall 2014 with twenty students in a community college ecology course used the Jamaica Bay watershed in New York City as the geographic focus. Students visited two restoration projects in Jamaica Bay and two smaller neighborhood parks with different amenities for passive and active recreation, interacted directly with city-level managers, and used government research and reports to deepen their understanding of the ecological and social dimensions of the system and their interactions. Lessons learned will be shared in the panel.

Energy literacy activities to explore socioecological vulnerability and resilience in renewable energy transitions, Dustin Mulvaney (San Jose State University, dustin.mulvaney@sjsu.edu)

This presentation describes efforts to integrate research on controversies over renewable energy deployment into educational activities that foster learning about the social and ecological impacts of renewable energy transitions, and possibilities to make socioecological systems more resilient. Too many educational activities around renewable energy focus largely, if not exclusively, on the greenhouse gas implications of renewable energy deployment. These clearly demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy. However, they do not equip students with the tools to differentiate project designs that increase socioecological vulnerability from renewable energy projects that have minimal impacts or even increase socioecological resilience. There are arguably too few educational activities that capture the range of social and ecological impacts that fall beyond the questions about climate change such as environmental justice, land use change, or biodiversity impacts. Renewable energy projects have faced considerable social and ecological controversies upon deployment, and it is suggested here that introducing students to potential sites of conflict will help more broadly educate society about where to look for opportunities to design sustainable energy systems that minimize social and ecological conflicts. There were several opportunities to integrate discussions of vulnerability and resilience into several elements of a teaching assignment where students are asked to understand the core issues associated with the social gap in renewable energy. Teaching goals have been developed in concert with a “teaching case studies” short course at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center.