Creating the Sustainable City: Building a Seminar (and Curriculum) through Interdisciplinary Learning

Abstract

Using the wealth of sites available in the Chicago metropolitan area, online learning technologies, and classroom interactions, Roosevelt University's seminar "The Sustainable City" takes a multidisciplinary approach to urban ecology, waste management, green design, climate change, urban planning, park/ands, water systems, environmental justice, ecological restoration, and urban agriculture. The seminar introduces adult undergraduates to the study of the Chicago metropolitan area's natural and social environment through field trips, Blackboard-based online discussions, and team-taught lectures and in-class discussions. Most significantly, the seminar has inspired a new curriculum in sustainability studies at Roosevelt.