Teaching Climate Change Across the Disciplines Learning Community

The scientific community has estimated that we have less than 10 years to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions globally to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. In the last few years, we have witnessed the early impacts of global climate change: megafires, droughts, longer summers, and more intense heat waves. Climate change will impact every person on this planet in the coming decade, and thus, ties in directly or indirectly with everything that we teach. Yet, most UNC students graduate without a clear understanding of how climate change will impact their lives or their chosen professions.  

In this learning community, we’ll explore ways we can weave climate change themes into a range of diverse disciplines. While it can seem overwhelming to try to add more to your class, together we’ll explore how to do that in a way that is seamless and works to enrich your other course content. We’ll also discuss how to talk about climate change with your students in a way that is productive and non-inflammatory. One of the key solutions to climate change is finding ways for diverse groups of people to talk to each other, and we’ll explore how we might engage students and colleagues in productive, enriching discussions 

Through your participation, you will develop a plan for integrating climate change themes into your course – this may be as simple as adding the topic to a discussion or homework assignment, or as complex as developing course materials to meet adjusted learning objectives in your course. 

Eligibility

Participants can be anyone at UNC who teaches courses at UNC, including full and part time faculty, staff, and graduate students. Priority is given to instructors currently teaching. Space is limited and participants are selected on a first come basis. 

Requirements

Participants are asked to attend all meetings and participate in ongoing evaluation. This learning community meets twice each month from February 7 - April 18.

Spring 2022 Cohort

Facilitators

• Cindy Shellito, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences 
• Melissa Weinrich, Chemistry & Biochemistry 
• Emily Holt, School of Biological Sciences 

There will be six in-person meeting for spring 2022. Dates are pre-determined. Cohorts will meet in the University Center, Columbine B from 2:30-4:00 pm on the following Mondays:

• February 7
• February 21
• March 7
• March 21
• April 4 (meeting in Campus Comons 2200)
• April 18