Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have a broad appreciation of current environmental issues - global, national, State and local; appreciate the historical and philosophical development of environmental education as a response to environmental issues and an underpinning of future environmental sustainability; be able to demonstrate how the characteristics of environmental education may be integrated into educational programs both formal (eg primary, secondary and tertiary education) and informal (eg community education); be aware of the range of support facilities for both formal and informal environmental education; be able to outline the characteristics of important operational environmental education curricula in Victoria and Australia; be able to demonstrate skills required of an effective environmental educator.
Synopsis This biannual subject gives a broad perspective of environmental education (EE). However some bias towards school level approaches, and both formal and informal community education gives a subject design suitable for students from both the Faculty of Education and the Graduate School of Environmental Science. One strand considers the emerging nature of EE and how its particular characteristics can be put into practice at various levels of education by teachers with backgrounds across the whole spectrum of the traditional curriculum. The second main strand looks at the `environmental problematic,' the complex of global issues (population, food, war, resource depletion, etc) and national and local issues that face mankind. It also considers possible solutions and the role of EE within them. Since environmental issues involve political, economic, social, historical, aesthetic and technoscientific issues, EE requires contributions from all these disciplinary areas, and a highlight of the subject is group development of an EE program that helps solve a local environmental issue.
Assessment Essay and factfile (2000 words): 20% + Group project: 35% + Letter writing: 5% + Debate or meeting: 15% + Research Essay (2000 words): 15% + Factsheet: 10%