Sustainability and Cultural Stories
Summary
This activity is an essay (on an exam or as a paper) for a class that focuses on a diverse group of texts, such as a literature class or a text-based writing course. Students are asked to compare and contrast the sustainability of the cultural stories that underline two or more of the major texts read during the course. Ideally, the essay will be preceded by focused class discussion on elements of each cultural story as well as discussion of what makes a culture more or less sustainable.
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Learning Goals
One goal is to come up with a way of framing an examination of different cultures, the underlying story that is at work in each culture, and the ways in which those stories promote or hinder sustainability.
This activity should also promote careful reading and critical thinking.
This activity should also promote careful reading and critical thinking.
Context for Use
I am thinking of this in terms of the common first year course at Luther called Paideia. My hope is to develop an exercise that is general enough that it could be used in a variety of literature courses.
Description and Teaching Materials
With each text
- To what extent does the culture encourage a long-range perspective that places actions within a broader context?
- In what ways are limits a daily reality for individuals in that place and time? Does the culture encourage recognition of limits?
- Does the culture seem to be in tune with the natural systems upon which it depends?
Teaching Notes and Tips
With each text, discussion needs to be focused on 1)Identifying major features of the dominant narrative in each culture.
2) Evaluating this narrative from a sustainability perspective. It may be useful to ask questions such as the following:
2) Evaluating this narrative from a sustainability perspective. It may be useful to ask questions such as the following:
- To what extent does the culture encourage a long-range perspective that places actions within a broader context?
- In what ways are limits a daily reality for individuals in that place and time? Does the culture encourage recognition of limits?
- Does the culture seem to be in tune with the natural systems upon which it depends?