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Designing the Sustainable Foodshed: A Cross-Disciplinary Undergraduate Environmental Studies Course

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Abstract

This article demonstrates the educational value of an undergraduate course that integrates design and the liberal arts to teach about ecological systems, using study of the university campus as the means to connect theory and practice. It presents the curricular goals, objectives, results, and lessons learned from a qualitative case study of a cross-disciplinary course that required design and liberal arts students to develop innovative solutions to improve the sustainability of The New School’s food system. Student and faculty evaluations suggest that an integrated design and liberal arts course can be an effective and enjoyable method to learn about sustainability and urban systems; and it helps students learn different techniques for research, problem-solving, and communication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urban Environmental Studies and The Tishman Environment and Design Center, Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, 72 Fifth Avenue, Room 518, New York, NY, 10011, USA

    Nevin Cohen

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  1. Nevin Cohen
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Correspondence to Nevin Cohen.

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Nevin Cohen

has a Ph.D. in urban planning and environmental policy from Rutgers University; a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley; and a B.A. from Cornell University. He is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at The New School, focusing on urban food systems.

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Cohen, N. Designing the Sustainable Foodshed: A Cross-Disciplinary Undergraduate Environmental Studies Course. Innov High Educ 35, 51–60 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9126-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9126-z

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