Roosevelt University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Roosevelt offers several credit-based courses as well as academic and professional internships that provide immersive experiences in different communities and institutions doing work focused on sustainability. Sustainability Studies (SUST) 350 Service and Sustainability -- Focuses on one of sustainability's "Three Es" -- Equity -- within the broad context of environmental stewardship, community development, and social justice. A small seminar experience in which the professor and students partner with an outside organization, institution, or community to perform transformational service learning work and address real-world sustainability problems and solutions. Students engage and debate matters of social equity and environmental justice in relation to sustainable development, urban planning, ecological conservation, and other issues. Community partners thus far have included the Chicago Lights Urban Farm and Eden Place Nature Center, located in minority/low-income neighborhoods on Chicago's North and South Sides, respectively. SUST 350 @ Chicago Lights Urban Farm http://blogs.roosevelt.edu/mbryson/2013/05/30/action-research-at-the-chicago-lights-urban-farm/ SUST 350 @ Eden Place Nature Center http://blogs.roosevelt.edu/mbryson/2014/03/05/sust-350-course-preview-for-fall-2015/ SUST 330 Biodiversity, annually taught onsite at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, is an exceptional opportunity to learn about biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability at one of the world’s foremost natural history research museums. The Field Museum is actually a “Library of Biodiversity” as it has been documenting plant, animal and fossil species of the world for 125 years. SUST 330 includes weekly seminar-style class meetings where students discuss readings and hear from scientists working on biodiversity research in a variety of fields. They then work individually with a scientist in one of the many laboratories/collection departments of the museum, based on their individual interests. Several RU students have secured short-term paid positions following their successful experiences in this course, and two are currently employed on a year-round basis. SUST 330 Course info: https://rusustain.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/fall-2015-course-preview-for-sust-330-biodiversity-at-the-field-museum/ The SUST program also offers academic internships for students to work with external organizations, institutions, and companies on sustainability-related projects and research; as well as with RU's Physical Resources Department on campus-focused research/projects. this immersion into the sustainability culture and physical operations of the university benefits the institution and provides hands-on learning opportunities for students. SUST Internships: http://blogs.roosevelt.edu/mbryson/sustainability/internships/