Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities
Global Stewardship Initiative
Campus Activity Report (1995-1996)
The King's University College
Dr. John R. Wood
The Global Stewardship Initiative (GSI) has been the catalyst for a number of activities on and off campus this past year. Members of The King's University College community have engaged in GSI acti vities detailed below under four major headings - curriculum development, research, international programs, and communications about global stewardship issues. The GSI has maintained a high profil e on the campus and three faculty members have been deeply involved in GSI conferences and research.
I. Curriculum Development
Last year the College launched a new environmental studies degree program with the financial support of the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education. This program is centered on the biblical principle s of stewardship. It is coherent with the mission statement of The King's University College, which ties stewardship to an understanding of the natural world and our social and historical context. This degree program places an "emphasis on interdisciplinary work, global sustainable development, equipping graduates with communication, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills, and a hands-o n application of academic insights through an internship program." The student demand for this major was such that we were able to establish cohorts in years one and two of the program. The Environ mental Studies major requires a disciplinary concentration in one of the traditional fields of study (Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology) as well as an environmental studies core of courses to complete the double concentration.
A total of 3.0 FTE, out of a projected 5.5 FTE, faculty were added to support this program in 1995-96. The first appointment was in Human Geography and Environmental Studies and the second in Envir onmental Economics. We are now also offering a Physical Geography introduction with a sessional appointment. Together, these appointments provide the foundation for the following new course offerin gs.
This new course was developed by Dr. Doug Harink with a curriculum project grant from the GSI. In a study of the Christian theology of creation, this course addresses the issues of the integrity o f the universe as God's creation and humanity's place in, and task of caring for creation. It also seeks to impart a better understanding of the importance of central doctrines, such as the Trinit y, the imago dei, and the Eucharist, for the practice of environmental stewardship. The details of this course can be found in the project report elsewhere on this web page.
A new course featuring a historical and systematic study of the structure and normed character of the various relationships between human beings and their environment. The ethical, aesthetic, or me taphysical ramifications of major environmental problems such as pollution, overpopulation, or resource exhaustion are discussed.
This new course is being developed and delivered by a new faculty member from South Africa. He comes to the College with extensive experience consulting with the South African government during the transition from the pre- to post-apartheid economies. The course will explore the standard Capitalist-Marxist economic continuum and its relation to the natural economy of the biosphere. It offers a contemporary critique based upon a number of viewpoints including the unique voices of the southern hemisphere.
This new senior level course explores the decision processes used to conserve, develop and manage environmental resources.
Liberal arts students, as well as those in the environmental studies program, can benefit from this new introduction to the earth's major planetary components. The topics range from weather disaster s and landscape formation to the importance of rainforests (tropical and temperate) in global biogeochemical cycles. Opportunity is given to "discuss our role and responsibility in managing and cari ng for the earth as God's appointed stewards."
A knowledge of the relationship between the natural environment and development of settled landscapes is important for appreciating the impact we have on the world. The technical skills of map readi ng and data acquisition and manipulation are taught in this course.
One of the essential tools for work on the global scale resource, demographic, and consumption issues is the computer based manipulation of large data sets. This is a hands-on introduction to data i nput, manipulation, and spatial problem solving. GSI has come to be an essential tool for impact analysts and policy makers.
The courses listed above represent a substantial commitment on the part of the College. It might seem at first that 2.5 FTE is not great. But the entire full-time faculty only numbers 32; with a s tudent body of approximately 490 FTE. In these terms the College has made a substantial commitment of resources to the environmental studies program and to those students who will take courses as el ectives. The fall 1996 enrollment in the environmental studies program is 41 students (23 - year 1, 12 - year 2, 6 - year 3).
II. Research
Three faculty members have undertaken research projects directly related to the GSI during the past year. Harry Spaling was awarded a GSI grant to investigate the ethics of land use policy for the u rban-rural fringe. He has been concerned that there may not be an adequate ethical basis operating in most urban planning to allow the stewardship of valuable agricultural land near urban centers. Converting this land from production places significant elements of the food supply successively further away from the city. Reversing this trend w ill take a change in the way we value the land. So he asked the question, "What is the land ethic that underlies the conversion of prime farmland to urban-related development?" This paper received the "Caring for Creation" award at the ASA/CSCA joint annual meetings, July 27-29, 1996 in Toronto. Spaling has prepared a draft paper which will be submitted for publication consideration this fall. A copy of his paper, "Pave it or Preserve it: La nd Ethics in the Rural-urban Fringe of Edmonton, Canada" may be found elsewhere on this web page.
Heather Looy has investigated the psychological basis for disgust, especially as it relates to dietary aversions by North Americans. Throughout the Western world there is deep-seated aversion to con tact with, let alone consumption of insects. They are viewed as dirty, disgusting and malevolent. Because other cultures, notably Mexico in North America, do consume insects, and because our own av ersion is inconsistent (we do consume snails, shellfish, lobsters, etc.) this aversion cannot be innate and immutable. Looy is interested in understanding the developmental process by which disgust emerges in children. She asks, "what sociocultural elements play a role?" and "how do cultures develop these general categories of acceptable and taboo foods?"
This broad based aversion is not rational. More importantly, it is the source of several resource consumption and environmental degradation issues since North American agriculture wastes significant
amounts of palatable food each year. Understanding the basis of disgust formation may help in educating the public about the differences between largely benign production pests and potential diseas e causing storage pests. The result in changing attitudes has implications across a wide range of agricultural systems, both national and international. This question takes on particular relevance t o global stewardship issues when shortages of protein in the diet in lesser developed countries is considered.
Environmental education has been the main focus of research by John Wood. He is chair, and Natural Sciences representative, on the interdisciplinary environmental studies committee (other members ar e Harry Spaling, Social Sciences and Doug Harink, Humanities). This committee is responsible for guidance and the development of recommendations for this new degree program (detailed above). Wood presented a discussion paper at the GSI winter conference in March titled "Environmental Literacy and the Challenge of Reinventing Christian Liberal Arts Education". In that paper he documented the widespread critique leveled at all of higher education in terms of the special challenges facing Christian liberal arts institutions. The GSI represents another voice asking for change, not just in the research we do, but also in how we educate the next generation of Christian leaders. This will require rethinking our curriculum and how we deliver it. It also entails going beyond the curricul um to look at campus-wide stewardship practices. Our institutions need to be reshaped into centers of excellence in the practice of stewardship. Many institutions have begun programs of resource re covery and conservation (recycling paper and metals and/or utility efficiencies), but most of these efforts lag well behind those of industry and government. Higher education has in general lost the
lead in environmental innovation to these other sectors. This is especially true of Christian colleges and universities, which have been (with a few notable exceptions) slow to innovate in curricul ar or extra-curricular programming.
III. International Programs
The College in cooperation with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) participated in a development education project in Honduras, May, 1996. A team of 14 students, faculty, and comm unity members assisted in building a water supply facility in a rural village. Such first-hand participation demonstrates the practical difficulties of cross-cultural expectations and action. As on e student said, "the experience brought me out of my safety net of Canada and placed me in the real world." Similar sentiments were voiced by Josh Van Berkel, the Target Earth Leadership Course par ticipant sent to the CEA Belize field station. He has subsequently been active speaking to campus groups about this experience.
This last May John Wood was invited to travel to the Kaluga Region of Russia for three weeks of seminars and consultations on the possibility of starting a joint Russian-Canadian environmental educ ation project. Over the past two years he has supervised the placement of two Russian teachers researching environmental education practices in North America. There is keen interest among educators in Russia in environmental issues and a number of exemplary individual activities are underway.
A new committee that will coordinate international programs and optimize resources, facilitate activities among potential partners, develop an international studies track, and seek to develop a forma l partnership with a Christian university/college in another country.
IV. Communications
Over the last year faculty have written and spoken about GSI issues in a number of venues.
A newsletter, developed for the environmental studies program, has highlighted stewardship issues. This letter is sent to the members of the Environmental Partners board and both current and prosp ective students.
Faculty member Harry Cook is a new member on the board of a local food and conservation organization, Earthkeeping: Food and Agriculture in Christian Perspective. The expertise of the College facult y was acknowledged when several were featured at the regional summer conference of the Institute for Christian Studies on the theme "Keeping the Garden; Caring for Our Creational Home". Harry Spalin g has also conducted workshops in 4 churches tilted "Making Your Church a Creation Awareness Centre".
Two faculty members, Harry Spaling and John Wood, have been newly appointed to the Global Resources and Environment Committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. The mandate of this committee is to initiate high-quality submissions to the journal Perspectives and other publications.
Wood has also written several articles for the Evangelical Environmental Network newsletter, Creation Care.
The GSI has been a catalyst, not so much to stimulate new initiatives at the College, but to focus the efforts of many individuals into a tangible initiative. The community now sees itself, identifi es with, and recognizes that global stewardship is a priority concern, not just a vague statement in the mission statement. For this stimulus to good work we wish to thank the Coalition of Christian
Colleges and Universities, Dr. Harold Heie, Center for Christian Studies, Gordon College, and the PEW Charitable Trusts.
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Dr. John R. Wood
Associate Professor, Biology
The King's University College
9125 - 50th Street
Edmonton, AB T6B 2H3 CANADA
Ph: (403)465-3500
Fax: (403)465-3534
E-Mail: jwood@KingsU.ab.ca
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