INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE Alex Mayer, Michigan Technological University

Course overview: Origin and purpose of the course  “SustR”: Sustainable Development for Rural Communities A Student Mobility Program  Consortium of six universities in the US, Canada, and Mexico  1 or 2 semester student exchanges in the consortium universities  Shorter intensive field trips to experience rural sustainability issues in Mexico, Canada and the US  A new collaborative web-based course on rural sustainability

Course overview: Origin and purpose of the course For more information on the SustR program, contact the program director at your university. At Michigan Tech, go to /~asmayer/sustr.htm Locations of the six universities

Course overview: Weekly modules  Weekly Schedule WeekDateTopic Responsible University 19/5/ /9/2011 Introduction to the course; Goals and objectives of rural sustainable development UNISON 29/19/ /23/2011Global, regional and local forces UNBC 39/26/ /30/2011Governance and the Commons LU 410/3/ /7/2011Case study: Renewable energy All 510/10/ /16/2011Case study: Food security and cultural connectedness LU 610/17/ /23/2011Case study: Natural Resource Extraction – the Case of Mining MTU 710/31/ /4/2011Case study: Sustainable rural tourism UNBC 811/7/ /11/2011Case study: Sustainable agriculture MTU 911/14/ /18/2011 Case study: Population and Environment in the State of Aguascalientes, Mexico All 1010/24/ /28/2011Case study: Water and Sanitation MTU 1111/28/ /2/2011Case study: Biodiversity and rural communities MTU

Course overview: Weekly modules  Weekly modules are available at course web site:  Objectives  Background  Web-based lectures (posted on Monday)  Readings  Other resources  Discussion questions  Evaluation (assignments)  Vocabulary  Faculty contact(s) for questions of clarification

Course overview: Weekly modules  Discussion sessions  Held every Friday, beginning at 12:00 am to 1:00 pm, Eastern time via Adobe Connect  Students from the consortium universities will participate in a discussion session on the week’s topics, led by the students from the university responsible for that week.*  At the beginning of the discussion session, students from the responsible university* will deliver a 10-minute summary of the week’s lecture and readings and a list of discussion questions  Students from the responsible university* will then moderate the following discussion (approximately 30 minutes). *except for the first week

Course overview: Written assignments  Students will submit a three ‐ page reflection paper each week of the first five weeks of the course. *  Questions for each reflection paper will be posted the Friday before the week when the paper topic is discussed.*  Reflection papers will be due the Wednesday after the week when the paper topic is discussed.*  Student reflection papers will be posted on the course website. *except for the first week

Course overview: Written assignments  Reflection papers will be based on the following rubric: 20% for spelling and grammar; 30% for organization; 50% for depth of analysis.  For the last six weeks of the course, no reflection papers are due, but reflection questions will be posted.  A 10-page synthesis paper will be due 12/9/2011, connecting the two halves of the course and explaining the concepts of rural sustainability.

Course overview: Overall grading  Semester grades will be based on  5 weekly reflection papers50%  synthesis paper40%  participation10%  Refer to the syllabus for an explanation for expectations regarding participation.  The home university’s instructor will grade all aspects of their university’s students.

Organization of the module  Lecture  what are sustainability and sustainable development?  how do we define “rural?”

Organization of the module  Readings  Cromartie, J. and Bucholtz, S. (2008) “Defining the ‘Rural’ in Rural America, Amber Waves, 6(3):  Hamilton L., Hamilton L., Duncan C., Colocousis C. (2008) Place Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas. Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire: Durham, New Hampshire.  Harris, J.M. (2000) Basic Principles for Sustainable Development, Global Development and Environment Institute, Working paper 00-04, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.  Robinson, J. (2004) “Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development,” Ecological Economics, 48(4):  World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), Our Common Future, Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Organization of the module  Assignments  Write a three-page reflection paper considering the following questions, based on the lecture, readings, and your prior experience. The reflection paper is due by 5 pm, Wednesday, September 14. your paper to your instructor. Are the notions of sustainable development useful? How are rural areas defined and of what use are these definitions? How do the notions of sustainable development apply to the current issues faced by rural communities?

Organization of the module  Assignments  For Friday’s discussion session, prepare two Powerpoint slides on the sustainability efforts/activities/research/etc. that are occurring at your university.  to Alex Mayer your Powerpoint files by Thursday (September 8) afternoon at 5 pm (Eastern time). Be sure to put your name and your university in the Powerpoint. You will present these during Friday’s (September 9) discussion

Organization of the module  Discussion session (Friday, September 9)  Each student will present two Powerpoint slides on the sustainability efforts/activities/research/etc. that are occurring at their university.