Weaving Climate, Environmental Justice and Civic Engagement into Your Courses

Short Description:
As the inequitable impacts of climate change become more evident and destructive, it is essential for climate and environmental justice, as well as methods of civic engagement, to be taught at a high-level to college-level students. This book provides real examples of how professors at the University of Washington integrated these critical issues into their teachings, both in targeted lessons and as throughlines across an entire course. These samples of how environmental and climate justice have been successfully integrated into higher-level education can serve as both a record of the UW's progress towards centering JEDI at the heart of all students, and as a model for future instructors to use as they work to incorporate more aspects of justice and engagement into their own material.

Long Description:
With the increased effect of anthropogenic climate change, the impact of environmental issues on human societies has never been more essential to understand. With science-backed research showcasing that human activities are actively worsening the effect of many environmental issues including severe temperatures, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, there is severe need for all, whether we are scientists, activists, educators, or policy-makers, to take action. However, the global nature of both our society and the dangers we are facing necessitates careful consideration in analyzing and combatting environmental issues in a modern world. To properly adapt to and mitigate these issues, which may directly target specific communities or affect societies across the globe, not only do we need a proper grasp of environmental and climate science, but we need to ensure that solutions are mindful of the communities and ecosystems that are affected. We must not be content with climate and environmental solutions that fail to consider diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as key tenets. In short, justice must be at the heart of our climate and environmental work going forward.

Yet, facilitating just solutions cannot be done while the institutions that teach the next generation fail to highlight climate and environmental justice in their teachings. Without a natural and focused inclusion of DEIA values in environmental courses in higher education, there is reduced capacity for students who wish to engage to garner an understanding of what just solutions look like and how to implement them. This book seeks to remedy that gap.

Throughout this book, we synthesize the current efforts towards including climate, environmental justice, and civic engagement in courses taught at the University of Washington – Seattle. These examples range from specific lessons on environmental injustice to course-long integration of climate justice values, and include course details, lesson plans, and other resources provided by course instructors in an easy-to-access format. The chapters in this book each constitute a real method of integrating climate and environmental justice into a course, and thus provide a bounty of instruction for increasing the inclusion of justice in course material for instructors across any discipline. Lessons will be regularly added to the book as they are implemented and adapted. The existence of this book marks not only the history of environmental justice in courses at the UW, but also the emphasis on the topic of justice that the college is placing in the current day, as well as serving as a guide or model for instructors to use as more courses begin to fully integrate justice into their curriculum. Through this work, we can be more reliably assured that the people we are training to practice civic engagement and climate and environmental action can not just protect the planet, but preserve the life of the people, communities, and ecosystems who depend on it.

This book has been created with support from the University of Washington Program on Climate Change, the UW Program on the Environment, and the University of Washington College of the Environment, especially from material created at our annual Climate and Environmental Justice Faculty Institute.

Word Count: 9944

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

College Success takes a fresh look at what it means, in today’s world, with today’s students, to be successful in college.Although many of the topics included—from study skills to personal health, from test-taking to managing time and money—will look familiar to those who have used student success texts that have been around for many editions, College Success takes a new approach. The focus is on realistic, practical tools for the students who need them. This is a book designed, frankly, for students who may have difficulty with traditional college texts. The style is direct and to the point. Information is presented concisely and as simply as possible. This is not a weighty tome that discusses student success—this is a manual for doing it.College student demographics have changed considerably in recent decades. More than a third of all students enroll not directly from high school but after a delay of some years. More students are working and have families. More students come from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds. More students are the first in their family to attend college. More students have grown up with electronic media and now read and think in ways different from the previous generation. With these and so many other cultural changes, more students are not well prepared for a college education with the study skills and life skills they need to become successful students.For each student to get the most out of College Success and their college experience they must understand who they are as it relates to college. To that end, in every chapter students explore themselves, because success starts with recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses. Students make their own goals based on this self-assessment, determining what success in college really means for them as individuals. Interactive activities then help students learn the choices available to them and the possibilities for improving their skills. Skills are presented in step-by-step processes, tips for success in manageable highlighted displays. Most important, students always see the value of what they are reading—and how they can begin to apply it immediately in their own lives.College Success is intended for use in Freshmen Orientation, Study Skills or Student Success courses. A 2009 study revealed that currently nationwide, 34% of college freshmen do not return to their college for their sophomore year. This book is designed to help change that.

Short Description:
This openly licensed text, created with students, approaches the current status of contemporary families in the U.S. from an equity lens. It asks and answers the questions “What do families need?” and “How do society and institutions support or get in the way of families getting what they need?" Original content is licensed under CC BY, except as otherwise noted. More specific information can be found under Licenses and Attributions at the bottom of each section. Print copy: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elizabeth-pearce/contemporary-families/paperback/product-rjq8mm.html

Long Description:
This openly licensed text approaches contemporary families from an equity lens. It was created by a Human Development and Family Services (HDFS) faculty member and 13 students from a variety of majors at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC), using an open pedagogy approach. It asks two questions relevant to the Difference, Power, and Discrimination outcomes at LBCC: “What do families need?” and “ How do society and institutions support or get in the way of families getting what they need?” This book includes remixed content. Please note that some sections may have more restrictive licenses, and some all rights reserved content is included under fair use. More specific information can be found under Licenses and Attributions at the bottom of each section. Print copy: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/elizabeth-pearce/contemporary-families/paperback/product-rjq8mm.html

Word Count: 97187

ISBN: 978-1-63635-078-3

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Short Description:
This textbook was created to provide an introduction to research methods for BSW and MSW students, with particular emphasis on research and practice relevant to students at the University of Texas at Arlington. It provides an introduction to social work students to help evaluate research for evidence-based practice and design social work research projects. It can be used with its companion, A Guidebook for Social Work Literature Reviews and Research Questions by Rebecca L. Mauldin and Matthew DeCarlo, or as a stand-alone textbook.

Word Count: 108842

ISBN: 978-1-64816-991-5

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

We designed our book to help graduate social work students through every step of the research process, from conceptualization to dissemination. Our textbook centers cultural humility, information literacy, pragmatism, and an equal emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods. It includes extensive content on literature reviews, cultural bias and respectfulness, and qualitative methods, in contrast to traditionally used commercial textbooks in social work research.

Word Count: 278237

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Word Count: 279491

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

The syllabus for SOWK 621.01: Research I: Basic Research Methodology, as previously taught by Dr. Matthew DeCarlo at Radford University.

The syllabus for SOWK 679: Advanced Standing Bridge Course II, as previously taught at Radford University by Dr. Matt DeCarlo.

The syllabus for SW 507: SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH, taught at Monmouth University by Dr. Cory Cummings.

Short Description:
As an introductory textbook for social work students studying research methods, this book guides students through the process of creating a research project. Students will learn how to discover a researchable topic that is interesting to them, examine scholarly literature, formulate a proper research question, design a quantitative or qualitative study to answer their question, carry out the design, interpret quantitative or qualitative results, and disseminate their findings to a variety of audiences. Examples are drawn from the author's practice and research experience, as well as topical articles from the literature. The textbook is aligned with the Council on Social Work Education's 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Students and faculty can download copies of this textbook using the links provided in the front matter. As an open textbook, users are free to retain copies, redistribute copies (non-commercially), revise the contents, remix it with other works, and reuse for any purpose.

Long Description:
Based on my years teaching research methods, this is the book I’ve wanted to write and use. It builds on the work of educators in other disciplines by including greater detail on multi-paradigmatic research methods and new content specific to the social work discipline. It is the first textbook produced by Open Social Work Education (http://www.opensocialworkeducation.com)

Word Count: 135856

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

There are several textbooks for students whose majors include internships in human services, broadly defi­­­ned, such as case management, counseling, criminal justice, and social work. Most of these books are written in an academic format. Typically, it involves an introduction to a theoretical orientation that concerns working with others followed by a series of chapters devoted to learning professional skills associated with a given discipline. This approach is fine, as far as it goes, but also has two drawbacks. One is that the texts are usually sold by main stream publishers, which means they are expensive. Another is that they seldom address what might be described as the experiential dimension of the internship that most beginners face on their own. This new book addresses both concerns. The fact that it is offered as a free text addresses the first issue, of course, but the second one requires a new approach. It began with asking students to talk about what they experienced when going through their first internship and what they would tell others about how to make it a successful one. That work led to a structured narrative about basic practical topics, such as finding an internship, getting started there, making effective use of supervision, understanding ethics, appreciating cultural diversity, becoming competent, and completing the internship. The text includes descriptions, suggestions, and exercises. It may be used as either a primary course text or, due to its relative brevity, a supplemental one. Although the lead editor is an experienced clinician and professor who has supervised internships for a variety of human services majors over many years, the book was written with and for students to make it more readable and more useful.

Short Description:
Trauma Informed Behaviour Support: A Practical Guide to Developing Resilient Learners guides educators working with primary school aged children to understand trauma as well as its impact on young children's brains, behaviour, learning, and development. The book provides a novel framework of practice – drawing on contemporary theories of developmental trauma and evidence-based practices of positive behaviour support. Practical strategies and tools are offered for educators to use to create strength-based environments that support children's recovery, resiliency and learning. Educators are introduced to the systemic impacts of traumatic stress and are provided with trauma-informed practices that they can use to support workforce development that enhance the quality of pedagogical practices, while promoting the safety and care of the school community.

Word Count: 56931

ISBN: 978-0-6487698-3-5

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Interdisciplinary Insights

Short Description:
The authors of ‘Trauma Informed Behavior Support’, Dr Kay Ayre and Dr Govind Krishnamoorthy, speak with interdisciplinary experts from education and mental health about trauma informed education and practical strategies to support students.

Long Description:
As an educator, have you ever wondered about students, “Why can’t she just control her behaviour?” or “Why did he do that?” The demands of the classroom, and the scrutiny of teachers, often leave little time for teachers to consider the complex needs of children experiencing traumatic stress. Drawing on their lived experience and professional expertise, the conversations with trauma-informed education experts in this unique book offer educators an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of students and strategies for responding with compassion and empathy. In a time of rapidly emerging scientific discovery, and social and political challenges, this book encourages educational leaders to question the fundamental assumptions of dominant pedagogical practices and sets the foundations for innovation in education.

Word Count: 41663

ISBN: 978-0-6453261-8-5

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)