TY - JOUR

T1 - Transformative education

T2 - towards a relational, justice-oriented approach to sustainability

AU - Walsh, Zack

AU - Böhme, Jessica

AU - Lavelle, Brooke D.

AU - Wamsler, Christine

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Claire Whitmer and Olivia Bronson for contributing to the eco-course curriculum. Thanks to Thomas Bruhn for providing feedback on drafts, and thanks to all who participated in the course. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Zack Walsh, Jessica Böhme, Brooke D. Lavelle and Christine Wamsler.

PY - 2020/12/11

Y1 - 2020/12/11

N2 - Purpose: This paper aims to increase related knowledge across personal, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability and how it can be applied to support transformative learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a reflexive case study of the design, content and impact of a course on eco-justice that integrates relational learning with an equity and justice lens. The reflexive case study provides a critical, exploratory self-assessment, including interviews, group discussions and surveys with key stakeholders and course participants. Findings: The results show how relational approaches can support transformative learning for sustainability and provide concrete practices, pathways and recommendations for curricula development that other universities/training institutions could follow or learn from. Originality/value: Sustainability research, practice and education generally focuses on structural or systemic factors of transformation (e.g. technology, governance and policy) without due consideration as to how institutions and systems are shaping and shaped by the transformation of personal agency and subjectivity. This presents a vast untapped and under-studied potential for addressing deep leverage points for change by using a relational approach to link personal, societal and ecological transformations for sustainability.

AB - Purpose: This paper aims to increase related knowledge across personal, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability and how it can be applied to support transformative learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a reflexive case study of the design, content and impact of a course on eco-justice that integrates relational learning with an equity and justice lens. The reflexive case study provides a critical, exploratory self-assessment, including interviews, group discussions and surveys with key stakeholders and course participants. Findings: The results show how relational approaches can support transformative learning for sustainability and provide concrete practices, pathways and recommendations for curricula development that other universities/training institutions could follow or learn from. Originality/value: Sustainability research, practice and education generally focuses on structural or systemic factors of transformation (e.g. technology, governance and policy) without due consideration as to how institutions and systems are shaping and shaped by the transformation of personal agency and subjectivity. This presents a vast untapped and under-studied potential for addressing deep leverage points for change by using a relational approach to link personal, societal and ecological transformations for sustainability.

KW - Anti-oppression pedagogy

KW - Contemplative pedagogy

KW - Eco-justice

KW - Relational ontology

KW - Sustainability education

KW - Systems thinking

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090131010&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/IJSHE-05-2020-0176

DO - 10.1108/IJSHE-05-2020-0176

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85090131010

VL - 21

SP - 1587

EP - 1606

JO - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

JF - International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

SN - 1467-6370

IS - 7

ER -