EFGS - Education for Global Sustainability
EFGS 5000 Education for Global Sustainability (3)
This course will provide an understanding of Global Sustainability and guide participants in ways to incorporate the information into their classrooms. EFGS 5000 should be taken within the first
9 hours of the program. Content will provide understanding in addressing environmental issues and the relationship between the environment, economy and global community. Crucial for today’s
PK12 students, this framework will also provide candidates with the tools to go beyond identifying environmental problems and prepare them to envision the path towards a healthier future for all sentient beings.
EFGS 5020 Adventure Education: Personal
Development (2)
This course recognizes that personal development is a prerequisite to professional growth. Intensive challenge using both natural and urban environments is the vehicle for students to look at themselves; to learn to trust themselves and a group; to learn that some tasks require more than normal effort; and to learn that they have the resources to give.
EFGS 5080 Energy Conservation (3)
A field-based course, this intensive workshop provides a behindthe-scene look at energy providers in Missouri. The experiences of the course challenge participants to synthesize the information they gather and develop curricula that share concepts and build understanding about our choices and responsibilities as energy consumers.
EFGS 5100 Adventure Education: Cooperation and
Initiative Tasks (3)
This course focuses on group initiative games, ropes initiative courses, and orienteering. Students design and use group initiative games. They experience and develop group leadership skills on ropes initiative courses. The course includes the opportunity to earn Level I and Level II certification for use of ropes initiative courses in St. Louis area parks. (This certification involves an additional course fee.) Basic skills in orienteering will be emphasized. Students increase their abilities to take initiative, make decisions, and work cooperatively. NOTE: This course can be taken for CR/NC only.
EFGS 5200 Independent Study (1-3)
Graduate students with special interests in education for sustainability may request that a member of the faculty supervise an independent study. Together the student and faculty member decide the content of the independent study and the criteria for assessment. In no case can an independent study be set up when an existing course already covers the subject. May be repeated for credit if content differs. Prerequisite: Must be degree-seeking.
May be repeated for credit (limit 6 credit hours for certificate).
EFGS 5201 Advancement to Candidacy (0)
In this course, candidates reflect in completed program experiences that demonstrate their attainment of professional and key program goals. Candidates complete a reflective essay about their professional growth experience in the program and impact on student learning. These documents are electronically submitted via the assessment system. Depending on major, candidates may be asked to select the thesis vs non-thesis option. Prerequisites: minimum of 9 graduate credit hours in program; at least one required course.
EFGS 5220 Teaching Sustainability Through Literature
(3)
This course explores the interdisciplinary potential of children's and adult literature with an emphasis on fiction that addresses the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability.
While reading a number of traditional tales, picture books, chapter books, and iconic texts, participants will apply systems thinking, ecocriticism and rhetorical analysis to the reading of literature, gain an understanding of the history of environmental awareness, appreciate the importance of a sense of place, work on lesson plans that can be replicated in the classroom, and reflect on their personal learning outcomes and applications. Prerequisite:
EFGS 5000 or permission of program coordinator.
EFGS 5240 Creating Sustainable Schools (3)
What does a sustainable school look like? What do educators need to know to be highly qualified instructors with an understanding for education for global sustainability? Educators are facing new territory as they try to create facilities, curriculum, and community connections that transform schools into 21st century learning environments. This course will help participants explore strategies for creating a school that can claim education for sustainability.
EFGS 5250 Child as Naturalist (3)
This course examines the phenomena of humanity’s disconnection from nature, how this affects children, the ramification of this global attitude, and ways to reverse the trend. Outdoor education methodology will be included. Through activities and discussions, the instructor will introduce techniques and experiences that encourage a conservation ethic and nurture environmental awareness in children. While a survey of environmental themes will be key, emphasis will be placed on the importance of nature experiences for children.
EFGS 5260 Topics in Education for Global
Sustainability (1-3)
This course provides candidates with practical applications of contemporary research and methodology to improve classroom effectiveness while considering the goals and concepts of sustainability. The specific topic of this course will change depending on the instructor, but will always help teachers to better under-stand the relationships between a healthy natural environment, economic stability, and social justice. Different topic designations may be repeated for credit.
EFGS 5270 Exploring Regions (3)
This course introduces students to techniques and resources for learning specifics about the natural history (nature, geography, and indigenous people) of a specific region. After learning these approaches, the group meets in a designated natural environment and spends a week applying the methods to unravel the mysteries and treasures of that region. This is an online course with one week face-to-face in the field.
EFGS 5410 In-Service Topics (1-3)
In-service courses in EFGS are designed to provide students with practical applications of contemporary research and methodology to advance sustainability and global citizenship in P12 schools.
EFGS 5430 Sustainability Leadership: Transitions and
Change (3)
Participants will explore the skills needed to lead others toward a sustainability-oriented school and community. We will study leaders of school reform and community involvement, generate strategies for sustainability education, and learn how to initiate
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EFGS - Education for Global Sustainability
change with professional strategies. Participants will evaluate themselves as leaders and learn the skills needed to lead effectively and with integrity. Prerequisite: EFGS 5000 or permission of program coordinator.
EFGS 5740 Economics: Choices and Challenges (3)
Designed to assist teachers in preparing students for consumer education, this course explores significant ideas concerning how and why one should become aware of issues in modern consumerism.
EFGS 5900 Reflections and Next Steps (0)
After 18 hours of a variety of courses, this final course will complete the university certificate in EFGS. Prerequisite: EFGS
5000 or permission of program coordinator
EFGS 6001 Integrated Studies in Education for Global
Sustainability (3)
In this course students develop and implement a comprehensive project in their specialization area in education. The project may be a field-based design, implementation and evaluation of a course, program or curriculum or a professional development plan for other educators; or it may be a research project. The project should document the impact on PK-12 learners. Prerequisite: completion of 27 hours of coursework in the MA program.
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