THE ROLE OF POLITICAL GEOLOGY IN ADVANCING 21ST CENTURY GEOSCIENCE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Rising demand for critical materials to support the energy transition puts immense pressure on geoscience and mining engineering departments to recruit and educate a new generation of young talent. However, new generations are hesitant and often completely uninterested working in a sector they feel has had a negative impact on society. With a deep public perception challenge, lack of student interest, and aging faculty expertise, there is a need to advance traditional geoscience curriculum across universities and early education. This presentation argues that the field of political geology, often missing in geoscience departments, can provide a useful method for training new geoscientists and mining engineers, as it provides a critical transdisciplinary perspective on how mining-related work is conducted and responds to many of societies critiques of geoscience. Political geology prepares students to address critical challenges in policy development, indigenous community engagement, ethics, and environmental justice surrounding geology; a core requirement in an era of increased political recognition and pressure for mineral production. Providing this expertise in department curriculum will better prepare students for the reality they will face in an ever-complexifying geopolitical landscape and increased social awareness around indigenous sovereignty and environmental protection. Political geology fosters new and diverse perspectives in geoscience, while building new coalitions with other disciplines in social science to better train students for an evolving world. Maintaining traditional geoscience skills and expertise is critical for the job market, but failing to address social and political realities facing mining will have long-term impacts for achieving the workforce demands of tomorrow.