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A Transdisciplinary Approach to Undergraduate Sustainability Education: Resource Economics by Way of Business and Science

Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This article details a transdisciplinary teaching module using stakeholder mapping and role-play to engage students in complex environmental and economic analysis. Developed through NSF-funded collaboration across multiple institutions, the module uses the Mississippi River Watershed as a case study to teach concepts of externalities and resource management through three interconnected exercises: individual stakeholder mapping of nitrogen pollution impacts, a Town Hall role-play simulation, and collaborative whole-class system mapping. The exercise was taught over the 2020-24 academic years, with implementations spanning in-person, hybrid, and fully remote modalities. While designed to be adaptable across disciplines, the module's exercises engage students with concepts of externalities and resource management through a real-world case study that demonstrates the necessity of incorporating scientific understanding into economic decision-making. Our experiences demonstrate how this module helps students connect economic concepts to complex real-world sustainability challenges. Pre- and post-surveys indicate around 53 percent of students participating in the module increased their assessment of the importance of economics in solving the problem of pollution in the Mississippi River, with similar increases in additional disciplines (entrepreneurship, agronomy). Comprehensive teaching materials, including instructor guides, student worksheets, and assessment rubrics, make the module readily adaptable across disciplines and teaching modalities.
DOI: 10.71162/aetr.924926
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7116795271
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