In this course you will carry out projects, individually, in pairs or small groups, into global issues and problems that interest you, and how they impact local communities and people you know. Problems might include investigating fairtrade products in local businesses, exploring local government support for minorities, looking at people’s attitudes and concerns about artificial intelligence in daily life, finding out how local organisations are putting into action Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and so on. You will do a minimum of 3 projects in one year (at least two in the spring semester and one in the fall), with journaling a key continuous process in each project.
Your research will include gathering information and making notes from both material (e.g., books, library, documents, audio-visual materials) and online sources (e.g., web searches, databases, other e-sources, including online videos and podcasts) in order to develop your understanding. You will also talk with “close others” (other students, family members, people in local communities, or local networks that you belong to). At the end of each project, you will create a product (e.g., an academic essay, blog posts, an opinion piece, visual report, or webpage) that can reach an audience beyond your class (e.g., with other classes, in public spaces, and/or in web-based products) so that you can share results from your project with other people.