Denison University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Denison makes available a variety of professional development opportunities on a yearly basis for teaching faculty. The focus of these varies by year. In the past, some Denison teaching faculty have attended sustainability workshops sponsored through a consortium of colleges (Great Lakes Colleges Association) to which Denison belongs. Denison also has the Denison Seminar Program which gives faculty the resources necessary to develop new unique courses that can and do include sustainability concepts. Denison Seminars exemplify the best of the liberal arts, transcending the traditional boundaries of academic departments, programs and divisions, addressing interdisciplinary, extradisciplinary or integrative topics. There are no prerequisites or other structural limitations; they carry GE credit; and the courses are designed to bring together small, diverse groups of students in a highly engaging academic experience. Many are team-taught by two faculty members from different disciplines, and most have an off-campus component. New Courses Developed in last three years as the result of above programs: Living with Climate Change: Description: "Climate Change" means different things to different people in 2015. We will touch briefly on many of those perspectives, but our real focus is on the future-specifically-YOUR future: what you can expect to happen in a world altered in climat climate, what that might mean for your life, and what you can do about it. Through readings and encounters with professors, authors, and activists from Denison and abroad, you'll interrogate alternate visions of the future of life in a changing climate, and through your writing and oral presentations you'll fine-tune your own vision of that future. Sophomores and Juniors only. Note: This course is a non-lab science GE Wicked Problems: Description: The wicked problems that this seminar analyzes include, international criminal justice & account- ability, changing nature of conflict, food security, poverty, global warming, and International migration. Re- quired field trip to Belgium and Netherlands during Thanksgiving break. Enrolled students will be charged a Fee of $500 for associated course expenses. The fee will be automatically waived for students with significant financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. Sustainability & Apocalypse: Description: Course examines the intersection of fiction and reality in approaches to survival through the lens of the apocalypse. Using apocalyptic fiction and lessons on sustain- ability, critical thinking will b possibility of future dystopias with fewer resources. Enrolled students will be charged a Fee of $200 for associated course expenses. The fee will be automatically waived for students with significant financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office.

Denison faculty are also given professional development funds each year that they can use at their discretion - this can and does include conferences and workshops related to sustainability and sustainability course development. Often faculty receive stipends for workshops sponsored directly by the college. Faculty who are developing Denison Seminar courses receive funding to develop the courses and attend any off-campus aspects of the course.

Denison maintains an internal password protected website where most of this information resides. Public access web pages have limited information on this topic.