Cooperation, Sustainability, and Spirituality [Religion and the Environment] Class |
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Dr. Jerome Bauer, with 8 years experience teaching at WashU, will teach his signature course "Cooperation, Sustainability, and Spirituality [Religion and the Environment]" time and place TBA, default venue Cervantes House (6036 Pershing, St Louis, MO), and another section TBA. $10 donation per session, more or less according to ability to pay. This course is based on the second semester of "Cooperative Living, Community Building, and Sustainability," taught at WashU in Spr 05, 06, 07, and "Cooperation, Sustainability, and Spirituality" and "Save the Planets: Environmental Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction," both taught at WashU in Summer 07. This seminar is for students who are concerned about the global ecological and social crisis that, according to many, has the potential to threaten the survival of humanity. The course investigates ways to create a sustainable future on our planet. We will explore different aspects of alternative and experimental ways of living and working together, from a primarily humanistic and philosophical perspective. Special topics include the Kibbutz movement, sustainable capitalism, novels of Daniel Quinn, Gandhi´s practice of satyagraha (firmly grasping the way things ought to be), creation spirituality, the sociology of knowledge, utopian literature and science fiction, and the history and culture of the cooperative movement. The course is structured so that students may freely pursue topics of interest within the broader topics covered by the class. This course is especially appropriate for students who are considering a major in environmental studies, American culture studies, or architecture; or a special major related to environmental humanities, medical humanities, social design, utopian studies, or consciousness studies. We explore issues related to the WashU Cooperative Network's Six Pillars: social responsibility, [egalitarian] community building, healthy living, environmental sustainability, cooperative learning, and leadership [by example]. Return to www.washucoop.com/cfu-lc Here is the description for a similar class, "Cooperation, Ideology, and Utopia," based upon the first semester of "Cooperative Living, Community Building, and Sustainability," taught in one form or another in Autumn 03, 04, 05, and 06 at WashU: This seminar examines the history and philosophy of the cooperative movement in America and the world. Why should we cooperate? What is the difference between cooperation and submission to authority? Are people naturally competitive or cooperative? This course examines the structures of thought used to buttress the status quo, and the wish-dreams for the future, called respectively “ideologies” and “utopias” by Karl Mannheim. We will read case studies of diverse utopian experiments, successful and unsuccessful, and examine the social theory behind these experiments. Special topics include eco-villages; Gandhi’s practice of satyagraha (“firmly grasping the way things ought to be”); anarchist, libertarian, socialist, communist, conservative, and neo-conservative thought; and utopian science fiction. What can we learn from the past, to build a just and sustainable future? The course is structured so that students may freely pursue topics of interest within the broader topics covered by the class. Participation in the emerging St Louis cooperative movement is strongly encouraged. Please see the Facebook Group, Alumni and Supporters of the Coop Focus Course, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4949724209 Return to www.washucoop.com/cfu-lc | |