Teaching Sustainable Development in a Sensory and Artful Way—Concepts, Methods, and Examples

Harald Heinrichs

doi:10.3390/su132413619

Abstract

Despite significant short-term pressures such as the recent Coronavirus pandemic with its economic and social disruptions, longer-term environmental un-sustainability and its projected intergenerational consequences remain a major threat for the future of mankind. More and new efforts are required in all social spheres with regard to the universal Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, the present article makes the argument for teaching sustainable development in higher education with a more sensory and artful approach, in order to raise students’ awareness of the multisensory reality of human existence and develop skills to engage creatively for sustainability transformations. Rooted in the perspective of sensory and arts-based sustainability science, three experimental bachelor courses—designed and conducted by the author of this article in collaboration with artists—with twenty to twenty-five students in each course from diverse disciplinary backgrounds in environmental studies, cultural studies, and social sciences are presented and discussed. It is argued that the specific course design and the scientific-artistic co-teaching provide an innovative way to teach sustainability topics in a more sensory way. The article ends with an outlook on potentials and challenges of this approach.

Highlights

The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the world at the beginning of the new decade
Even though the international adoption of the Agenda in 2015 has not led to substantial improvements towards sustainable development, until today, the sheer existence of the SDG’s and its monitoring helps to remind the international community that more and new efforts on sustainable development are required in all social spheres [2]
Even though this study focuses on providing design options for teaching sensory and arts-based sustainability science, and it is not aimed at measuring learning impacts, impressions from discursive feedback given by students in the course are cursorily mentioned

Summary

Introduction

The seminar took place in cooperation with the German filmmaker Jörg-Daniel Hissen, who holds extensive experience in documentary filmmaking on environmental and sustainability topics [52]. Following the introductory session (1) and the literature-based discussion on conceptual and empirical foundation of sustainable development (session 2), a brainstorming session took place in order to generate potential topics and research subjects, and in order to spread out the scope of possibilities (session 3) Parallel to this were the literature-based sessions on visual ethnography (session 4,5) and the more practical sessions on filmmaking led by Daniel Jörg Hissen (session 6,7); students were are asked to organize themselves into five groups and start thinking about potential topics of interest for their project work. The timeframe of four weeks for field research, scientific literature investigation, filming and postproduction was tight, but doable, if the students set up a well-organized division of labor, and if they were willing to invest time in this phase of the seminar In this regard, it is important to note that the final products—short film and scientific paper—had to be handed by 15 September, which was three months after the end lecture period. In order to allow for in-depth discussion and close collaboration between lectures and students to handle the complexity of this learning and doing situation, a limitation of 20 students would be helpful

Case Study 1

Bureau of Expertise for Critical Thinking and Artistic Intervention

Design of Intervention on selected topics

Sound of Sustainability

Outlook