Exploring Regenerative Culture for Sustainability

This course provides a space for students to explore perspectives and practices for a regenerative culture in the context of major societal and environmental challenges of our time. Central to this course is the exploration of connectedness with nature, the world, self and others as part of a cultural consciousness for sustainability. It is widely recognized that motivation to care and act for sustainability co-arises with a sense of connectedness and belonging to the (natural) world, being a part of it instead of apart from it. The loss of regular meaningful contact with nature, and the ‘outsider’ perspective of science pose a challenge to the development of such consciousness as direct lived experience is necessary to explore what it means to feel for and to be in relation with the world. The course takes an experiential, place-based, relational approach to learning, where students are invited to explore their own place in nature as part of a community of life and how this embodied experience may benefit sustainability and personal leadership. Students will develop their own perspective on what relationality can mean in the light of environmental and societal challenges. The course also explores cultural practices that help to sustain a felt emphatic connection in the face of insecurities and losses related to unsustainability.

Central to the course is a full-week outdoor summer camp in which we explore a diversity of nature and community-based practices that may contribute towards a regenerative culture. These include practices of Deep Ecology developed by, among others, eco-philosopher Joanna Macy. These practices aim to revive civic engagement through an emancipatory approach designed to empower students to widen and deepen boundaries of concern and to move beyond a crisis mentality toward an inspired commitment to sustainability. Activities include interactive group practices, outdoor activities, dialogue and journaling. It is a collective and co-created learning journey in which students actively participate in the construction of knowledge and meaning based on their experiences.

The course is also open for PhD students. In case you want to follow this course as a PhD student, please contact the course coordinator before the start. Maximum number of participants: 20

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• explain, understand and reflect upon the concept of regenerative culture/deep ecology and the role of relational consciousness and culture for sustainability;
• identify nature and community-based learning practices that build relationships between people and nature;
• explore their own place in nature as part of a community of life and how this embodied experience may benefit sustainability;
• critically reflect upon their personal role, value system and change agency in a complex world of sustainability challenges and opportunities;
• employ several personal leadership skills, such as reflexivity, perspective-taking, voicing their truth, empathy and care, self-sustainability, and an inspired commitment to sustainability;
• design their own self-directed learning by the articulation of learning goals and learning outcomes.