Question is in file attached
This assignment is an opportunity for students to: 1) do something outside of their comfort zone that enhances social and/or ecological well-being, and then 2) reflect on their experience. Students are strongly encouraged to design experiments where others participate as well (e.g., friends, roommates, family, co-workers), though this is not necessary. The experiment should typically last a minimum of two weeks, preferably longer. The best experiments are typically those where students leave their comfort zone and try something that is new to them. Students should submit via UM Learn a proposal of their experiments to be approved by the instructor prior to starting, and no later than Thursday, February 9. The proposal should be clear and concise, usually only a sentence or two. The final report is due on Thursday, March 16, and is also to be submitted via UM Learn.
Students are encouraged to develop their own experiments, but here are some ideas to help generate thinking about possibilities (remember to include other participants as appropriate):
Two weeks without eating meat (e.g., vegetarian or vegan) (if you choose a diet-related experiment, please do your homework beforehand, and check with friends and other credible sources about recipes and what sorts of foods make a balanced diet);
Two weeks without using fossil fuels for transportation (and/or for heating food or water);
Eat only locally-grown food (100 mile diet) for 90% of meals
Walk in nature for 30 minutes every day for two weeks, mindfully meditating on the beauty of the world (with smart phone turned “off”) (could walk with others);
Champion a sustainability initiative at your workplace (e.g., fair trade coffee, sign-ups for organ donor cards; bus-to-work week);
Remove yourself from social media for 2 weeks (and spend more time in nature and/or visiting with others face-to-face);
Students may choose to do “combinations” of mini-experiments, such as:
Three weeks of meatless Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and social-media-less Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (encouraging others to join you);
Have 20-minute-plus course-related conversations with others (1/week, 5 weeks); and do three nature walks/week for three weeks with others; you may also want to combine this with questions designed to improve personal relationships with others (e.g., https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/practice_as_pdf/36_questions_for_increasing_closeness?)
For three weeks, perform at least two “random acts of kindness” for others on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and write a thankfulness journal on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (e.g., where each journal entry describes at least 3 things you are thankful for, and each description is at least 3 sentences, and you identify at least one thing of the three things you are thankful for that you will deliberately savor and how you will savor it);
And so on … feel free to mix and match ideas … please be creative as you leave your comfort zone and become more sustainable, and try to include others in your experiment
The report should be well-written and structured. For ease of marking, use the following framework and headings, and please explicitly number each one of the 4 sub-points under parts “B” and “C” below:
Introduction: A brief introductory paragraph or two, describing:
1) your personal reasons for choosing this particular experiment, describing both: a) why it captured your imagination/interest; and b) why/how it took you out of your comfort zone
2) how this experiment helps to improve sustainability, making mention of both: a) social and b) ecological factors (note, the experiment does not need to address both social and ecological factors, but you should mention both).
Experience during experiment: Describe four or more experiences/events/insights that happened during the experiment and explain why they were noteworthy (e.g., reactions from others, insights by others, interesting story, and so on). Please number each one from 1 to 4.
Insights about yourself and/or others, and implications going forward. Describe four (or more) insights that you gained about yourself and/or others thanks to having completed the experiment, and identify any implications for your future (e.g., explain why you are glad/not glad that you choose the particular experiment that you did, whether it will change your personal behavior/lifestyle going forward, any effect on your professional aspirations, how it makes you look differently at the larger world you live in, and so on). Note that these insights should be different from the experiences described in Part B. Note that at least one of the insights/implications should be directly related to the triple loop learning model (i.e., explain how the triple loop learning model is, or is not, helpful for understanding what happened during the experiment). Number each insight/implication from 1 to 4, and please place an asterisk (*) beside the number(s) directly related to the triple loop learning model.
Appendix. Attach a copy of four separate “journal reflection entries” that you have written before and/or during the experiment. At the top of each entry include the date it was written and a quick reference to the context (e.g., “after choosing the experiment,” or “after the first day”). Again, each entry should go beyond mere description of an event, and also have some insight or reflection as to the “meaning” of the event and why it was noteworthy. These journal entries should help students to write the rest of their report (expect there to be overlap between the report and the journal entries, but the content in the journal entry does not need to be repeated in the rest of the report, and the content in the report does not need to be in the journals). Note that, if it makes sense, students may add photos or other attachments to their reports to describe their experiment.
On the very top line on the first page of their report students should provide the total number of words in their report (the total word count does NOT include the appendix). Note that marks may be reduced if they go beyond 1,000 words. Note also that writing mechanics will be taken into account in the grading rubric, as specified below. Finally, note that the effort/impact of the experiment, whether others were involved in the experiment, and the insightfulness of the comments will be taken into account in the final grading.
