Emory University
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Emory began the Piedmont Project in 2001, which offers a program of incentives to infuse sustainability across the curriculum by faculty from every unit of the university. The program accepts up to 20 applicants a year, provides a stipend of $1,000, and requires a 2-day May workshop, summer independent time to develop a new syllabus or new course module, a follow-up field trip and lunch to share results of the work, and a follow-up dinner a year later to discuss continuing growth in understanding about sustainability. Faculty have participated from both of Emory’s liberal arts undergraduate colleges, the graduate school of arts and sciences, and all six professional schools (Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Theology). Departments involved include languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, and Russian), mathematics, chemistry, biology, physical education and dance, sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, history, economics, English, comparative literature, liberal arts, journalism, women's studies, religion, philosophy, classics, art, theater, and music. Faculty syllabi are posted on the Piedmont Project website. The Piedmont Project has continued for thirteen years and a survey in 2006 determined that several thousand students a year are affected by the new or renovated courses. Over 197 faculty have participated, and impacts are felt in a sustainability Minor, renovated medical and nursing school curricula, new teaching techniques, faculty research programs, and new interdisciplinary collaborations. The adoption of sustainability as a core principle of the University during the 2005 strategic planning process is widely regarded as attributable to the breadth of participation in the Piedmont Project. Over 150 graduate students have also participated over eleven years in the Piedmont Teacher Training Fellowship program. While not all these students are able to offer a sustainability-related course as a result of the training, due to departmental teaching needs, but all prepare a new syllabus on a subject related to sustainability. Students receive $500 as extra pay for their participation in a one-day workshop and syllabus development efforts.

Each program participant receives a $1,000 stipend, workshop assistance, and any needed consultation to develop a new syllabus or new course module related to sustainability. Participants also attend an follow-up field trip and lunch where they share results of their summer work, and a follow-up dinner a year later to discuss continuing growth in understandings about sustainability.