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What is Environmental Studies (GEN054)?
- YUJIN SAGISHIMA
- Dec 2, 2021
- 4 min read
Tsunagaru Ethical interviews professors about their classes, especially their feelings toward their classes and the contents. I hope these articles will provide a good opportunity for people who are planning to take a class or are taking a class to design an attitude toward the class. If you have already taken a class, reading these articles will be a good chance for looking back.
This article focuses on a class called "Environmental Studies" and is based on an interview with Dr. Nunoshiba. His purpose and course design are interesting topics to check out :)
＜Profile of Dr. Nunoshiba＞
Received his Doctorate in Medicine from Kyoto University in 1990. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health and serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Biomolecular Sciences at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Life Sciences, was appointed Professor at ICU in 2009, where he belongs to the Biology and Environmental Studies majors. Specialties include microbial genetics, environmental genetic toxicology, and education for environmental studies, among others.
Sagishima）After taking this course, students will know more about environmental issues. Dr. Nunoshiba, what are your goals, and what is the purpose of this course?
Nunoshiba）Environmental study is an active learning type course consisting of two different elements. One is lectures to provide background knowledge, and another is a group project where students engage in problem-solving, utilizing knowledge that they have gained from the lectures. General Education courses tend to be offered by one professor, but sinceEnvironmental Studies relates to many fields and perspectives, we have taken another approach. In lectures, guest lecturers from various fields are asked to present topics about the environment from their viewpoint. On the other hand, I have a consistent idea of what the learning goals for this course should be for it be a course that is suitable for General Education. The goals of this course I think are 1) to enable students to recognize the relationship between environmental problems and oneself, 2) to encourage students to figure out an action one can practice to solve problems even if only in a small way. I hope that more students will 3) to encourage students to start life with less environmental impact, and 4) to encourage students to get more people involved in taking action to solve environmental problems. in the community as a result of taking this course. The course is designed along these goals and covers environmental issues comprehensively by not only inviting guests but also planning the order of lectures and exercises.
Sagishima）Could you explain more about the course contents?
Nunoshiba）In terms of lectures, the first half of the course focuses on skills required for critical thinking like how to interpret data, while interesting contents for students to think about and act on is provided in the latter half. In addition, the first few weeks often include several approaches to the same environmental issue. I expect this encourages discussion on the group project at the same time. At the first stage of the group project, six members who have an interest in the same environmental problem formulate a “Driving Question” which is a question related to the problem. After that, students continue the discussion listing the things they "need to know," including the situation, nature, and ways available to mitigate the problem. Finally, each team proposes a practicable action in a poster session. The course has a busy schedule, so there is no time to act on one's own suggestions during the course. However, every year after the course, students consult me to learn more and take actions in daily life. Some of them joined certain groups, some of them carried out an event in a dormitory, and some of them established “SUSTENA” which is a group actively working on environmental problems till this day. I’m really happy about these actions. I have taken charge of this course with the stance of giving advice with all my effort. In 2021, the SDGs promotion office was set up, and students, teachers, and staff are collaborating here. I think we could give more advice from next year.
Sagishima）Students may find it hard to recognize the connection between some of the lectures in the course and themselves. Why are these lectures included in the course?
Nunoshiba）Of course no one has the same interests and life, so students should have a range of reactions toward action. I want students to act if an action is practicable, but if their bodies and hearts do not feel like taking the action, I think it shouldn’t be practiced. The importance of these lectures is that information learned here may support action in the future. Actually, I know one student who got another choice in job hunting because of the lectures. I design lectures in a way that students can learn popular topics because I believe they can influence life one day even if action is not practiced now.
This is the end of the interview with Dr. Nunoshiba. Does your awareness of the course change? Please give me a reaction or advice to the Google Form inserted below.
There is another interview with Dr. Nunoshiba which focuses on “What we can do in a supermarket” from the view of environmental toxicology. Please check it out too.
Thank you for reading this moment, and see you again in another article!
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