The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Social Work
Course Number:
Course Title:
Faculty:
SoWo 880-238
Sustainable Development
Gary Nelson, DSW
School of Social Work
Room 235
Tele: (919) 962-4370
Email: gmnelson@email.unc.edu
Semester:
Spring 2010—Monday 5:30—8:30 p.m.
Tate Turner Kuralt Bldg. Room 135
Course Description
This course will examine issues and perspectives on sustainable development. In
examining sustainable development, it will do so through a three part framework that
combines local, national and global perspectives on the following goals: 1. economic
prosperity; 2. social equity; and 3. environmental protection.
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to do the following:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the effect of their personal social and cultural
background (including personal and professional values) on their own thinking,
views and practice for sustainable development. This understanding will be
reflected in a plan for the student’s growth and work;
2. Articulate a working definition of sustainable development that incorporates
information from the past, as well as current thinking about the term, and provides
practical, ethically based direction for the student’s work in sustainable
development;
3. Demonstrate a working knowledge of sustainable development challenges in their
community, the United States and the world;
4. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the interface between sustainable
development and poverty from local and global perspective;
5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the interface between sustainable
development, culture and gender; and
6. Demonstrate an ability to apply a learning framework to a sustainable
development initiative in a community of interest that appreciates the strengths of
current approaches, identifies continuing challenges to sustainability, and sets
forth a series of recommendations to overcome those challenges.
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Required Texts and Readings
1. Gore, Al. (2009). Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. Emmaus, PA:
Rodale, Inc.
2. Senge, Peter et. al. (2008). The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and
Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World. New York,
Doubleday.
3. Nelson, Gary M. (2009). Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet, and
Performance. In draft. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Institute for Sustainable Development.
4. Additional readings will be identified and assigned throughout the semester in
conjunction with the course topics, lectures, and guests.
Recommended Readings
1. Ellerman, David. (2006). Helping People Help Themselves. Ann Arbor, MI: the
University of Michigan Press.
2. Flyvbjerg, Brent. (2001). Making Social Science Matter. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
3. Friedman, Thomas L. (2005). The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st
Century. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
4. Gill, Indermit S. and Todd Pugatch (2005). At the Frontiers of Development.
Washington, DC: World Bank.
5. Goleman, Daniel. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human
Relationships. New York: Bantam Books.
6. Goleman, Daniel. (2009). Ecological Intelligence. New York: Broadway Books.
7. Hart, Maureen (1999). Guidelines to Sustainable Community Indicators. Second
Edition. N. Andover, MA: Hart Enviromental Dta.
8. Hawken, P., Lovins, A. and Lovins, L.H. (1999). Natural Capitalism: Creating
the Next Industrial Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
9. Henderson, Hazel. (1996). Building a Win-Win World: Life Beyond Global
Economic Warfare. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
10. McDonough, William and Michael Braungart. (2002). Remaking the Way We
Make Things. New York: North Point Press.
11. Roseland, Mark. (2005). Toward Sustainable Communities. Gabriola Island, BC:
New Society Publishers.
12. United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (2004). Human Development
Report 2004. New York: Oxford University Press.
13. Wheatley, Margaret (1992). Leadership and the New Sciences: Learning About
Organization from an Orderly Universe. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
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Course Calendar---Organizational Modules, Readings and Assignments
Module I:
Getting Started and Framing the Issue in Sustainable Development
Session 1: January 11th —Introduction—Our Choice A Necessary Revolution
Movie: Inconvenient Truth
Class Exercise—Small Group Exercise
Knowledge assessment and course expectations.
Exploring the relationship between sustainable development and issues
of environmental protection, economic development, and social equity.
Assignments—Next Class Session
Identify assignments for summarizing readings and facilitating
discussion.
Develop your own definitions of sustainable development as it pertains
to your career goals—two pages double spaced.
Write me letter—Over the next two weeks you must write me a letter
dated April 21st, which begins with the words, “Dear Mr. Nelson, I got
my __ (grade) because….,” and in this letter you are to tell, in as much
detail as you can, the story of what will have happened to you by this
date that is in line with the grade you have earned.” In writing this
letter everything must be written in the past tense. I am interested in
knowledge and skills you will have gained but also the person you
have become, e.g. your philosophy and stance toward social and
economic development.
January 18th: Martin Luther King Day—No Class
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Session 2: January 25th –Framing the Issues of Sustainable Development—It’s a
Question of How We Think and What We Value
Assigned Reading:
Senge, Peter et. al. Chapter 1—A Future Awaiting Our Choices and Chapter 2—
How We Got into This Predicament. Pp. 3-32.
Gore, Al. “The Crisis—Introduction and Chapter 1—What Goes Up Must Come
Down.” Pp. 10-49.
Gertner, Jon. (2009). “Why Isn’t the Brain Green?” The New York Times
Magazine. April, Pp. 36-43.
Mariconti, Craig. (2009). “Understanding the Disconnect on Global Warming.”
Association for Psychological Sciences. Vol. 22, No. 2, pg. 1-3.
Nelson, Gary M. “Regenerative Leadership and Management in Child Welfare:
Beyond Compliance to Innovation for Results.” Manuscript in process.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina: School of Social Work at the University of
North Carolina.
Guest: Frank Phoenix, Greenbridge & Institute for Sustainable Development
Session 3: February 1st —Green Plus—Institute for Sustainable Development
Assigned Reading:
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Introduction—Background We Need to Know.” In
Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and Performance.” Chapel Hill,
North Carolina: Institute for Sustainable Development.
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 1—Emergence of the Institute and Green
Plus.” In Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and Performance.”
Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for Sustainable Development.
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 2—Designing a World That Works for All.” In
Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and Performance.” Chapel Hill,
North Carolina: Institute for Sustainable Development.
Senge, Peter et. al. Chapter 3—Life Beyond the Bubble; Chapter 2—New
Thinking, New Choices; and Chapter 4—Never Doubt What One Person
and a Small Group Can Do. Pp. 33-67.
Guest: Chris Carmody, Director Institute for Sustainable Development
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Module II: Going Green and Sustainable in Low Wealth Communities
Session 4: February 8th –Rural and Low Wealth Communities in North Carolina
Assigned Reading:
Gore, Al. “Our Sources of Energy—Chapter 2—Where Our Energy Comes From
and Where It Goes; Chapter 3—Electricity from the Sun; and Chapter 4—
Harvesting the Wind.” Pp. 50-91.
Senge, Peter et. al. “Chapter 6—Aligning an Industry and Chapter 7—
Unconventional Allies: Coke and WWF Partner for Sustainable Water.”
Pp. 68-95.
Guest: Deb Gallagher, Nicholas Institute of the Environment
Duke University
Session 5: February 15th –Rural and Low Wealth Communities in North Carolina
Assigned Reading:
Gore, Al. “Chapter 5—Soaking Up Geothermal Energy; Chapter 6—Growing
Fuel; Chapter 7—Carbon Capture and Sequestration; and Chapter 8—The
Nuclear Option.” Pp. 92-169.
Senge, Peter et. al., “Chapter 8—Risks and Opportunities: The Business Rationale
for Sustainability and Chapter 9—Positioning for the Future.” Pp. 101139.
Guest: Linda Shaw, Director
Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI)
Session 6: February 22nd –Mapping Low Wealth Communities and Sustainability
Assigned Reading:
Gore, Al. “Living Systems—Chapter 9 Forests; Chapter 10 Soil; and Chapter 11Population” Pp. 170-241.
Guest: Leslie Scott, Center for Rural Economic Development
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Session 7: March 1st—Global Perspective on Sustainable Development
Assigned Reading:
Gore, Al. “How We Use Energy—Chapter 12—Less Is More and Chapter 13—
The Super Grid” Pp. 242-297.
Guest: Phyllis Pomerantz, Professor of the Practice
Duke Center for International Development
March 8th—Spring Break
Module III: Planet, People and Profit
Session 8: March 15th –Planet
Assigned Reading:
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 3—Green Plus as Stance, Tool, and Creative
Experience; Chapter 4—Scaling Up the Institute and Green Plus; and
Chapter 5—The Planet.” In Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and
Performance. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for Sustainable
Development.
Guest: Bland Landscaping
Session 9: March 22nd –People
Assigned Reading:
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 6—The People.” In Green Plus—Integrating
People, Planet, and Performance.” Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute
for Sustainable Development.
Guest: Kevin Trapani, CEO
The Redwoods Group
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Session 10: March 29th—Performance
Assigned Reading:
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 7—Performance.” In Green Plus—Integrating
People, Planet and Performance.” Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for
Sustainable Development.
Guest: Chapel Hill Restaurant Group
Module IV: Designing for Sustainable Development
Session 11: April 5th –Leadership
Assigned Reading:
Senge, Peter et. al., “Chapter 10—Getting People Engaged; Chapter 11-Building
Your Case for Change; Chapter 12—The Tragedy and Opportunity of the
Commons; Chapter 13—Spaceship Earth and Chapter 14—Seeing Our
Choices.” Pp. 140-221.”
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 11—Regenerative Leadership for Going Green
and Sustainable” In Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and
Performance. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for Sustainable
Development.
Guest: Jon Abels, Director
Duke Center for International Development
Session 12: April 12th –Community Engagement
Assigned Reading
Senge, Peter et. al., “Chapter 15—The Imperative to Collaborate; Chapter 16—
Convening: Getting the System in the Room; Chapter 17—Seeing Reality
Through Others’ Eyes; Chapter 18—Building Shared Commitment.” Pp.
227-284.
Nelson, Gary M. (2009). “Chapter 12—Community Engagement for a Sustainable
Society.” In Green Plus—Integrating People, Planet and Performance for
a Sustainable Society. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for
Sustainable Development.
Guest: Chris Howell, Clinical Instructor
The Less Is More Program
School of Social Work
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Session 13: April 19th –Envisioning the Future
Assigned Reading:
Senge, Peter et. al. “Chapter 19—Innovation Inspired by Living Systems; Chapter
20—Unleashing Everyday Magic; Chapter 21—You Don’t Have to Have
All the Answers; Chapter 22—From Low-Hanging Fruit to New Strategic
Possibilities; Chapter 13—It’s Not What the Vision Is, It’s What the
Vision Does.” Pp. 285-344.
Senge, Peter et. al. “Chapter 25—The Future of the Corporation; Chapter 26—
The Future of Enterprise Variety; Chapter 27—The Future of Leadership;
Chapter 28—The Future of Our Relations; and Chapter 29—The Future of
Us.” Pp. 348-386.
Guest: Shana Starobin, Research Coordinator
Institute for Sustainable Development
Session 14: April 26th –Class Presentations
Class Assignments
There are three assignments due in this course:
1. Letter—Course Grade: Letter identifying grade earned and content learned:
Due on January 25th.
2. Thought Piece: A thought piece on sustainable development—your personal
working definition: Due January 25th.
3. Mid Term: Due on March 1st
4. Paper—Mapping and Identifying Resources For Going Green and
Sustainable in Low Wealth Communities
Assignment of Course Grades
The following weights will be applied to the various assignments associated with this
course.
1. Thought Piece
10%
2. Mid-Term
30%
3. Mapping Exercise
50%
4. Class Participation
10%
Course Evaluation
The course will be evaluated using evaluation form developed by the School of Social
Work.
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