LITERACIES AND GEOSCIENCE CONTENT IN SOCIAL CONTEXT: TEACHING GLOBAL RESOURCE ISSUES THROUGH A NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Modern industrialized societies consume vast quantities of minerals and Earth and energy resources. Without these resources modern societies could not function and the 6 billion humans inhabiting our planet could not survive. Consequently, citizens of democracies are often faced with local, regional, national and international issues concerning resource exploration, extraction, use and disposal. To prepare students for these types of questions, a geologist (Myers) and a sociologist (Massey) have joined together to develop two new, interdisciplinary courses that focus on Earth and Mineral Resources and Energy. These courses teach scientific content while promoting mastery of fundamental quantitative and qualitative skills, as well as habits of mind necessary for active civic engagement. Literacy (skills) training provides the quantitative and qualitative tools necessary to function in a numbers-oriented, technological society. Scientific content illustrates the limitations imposed by the natural world on what can be accomplished through science, technology and engineering. Science in real-world social context also explicitly reveals its connections to students' everyday lives. At the same time, experience in addressing realistic, real-life problems instills a sense of social and political efficacy and responsibility. Case studies are used to place science content in real world situations, including social formations, political systems, cultural practices and religious beliefs. Whereas traditional interdisciplinary courses have multiple instructors each teaching their specialty; these two courses are developed by disciplinary experts but taught by a single instructor. Thus, the instructor models the interdisciplinary learning we want students to accomplish. Although integrated science courses typically combined the content knowledge of two or more scientific disciplines, our courses encourage the broader interdisciplinary learning required for responsible citizenship. They also transcend typical interdisciplinary niches (e.g. Womens Studies, International Studies) by advocating a new interdisciplinary paradigm.