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ENVS 6599
Winter 2007 Group IDS course |
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Course Director: Brian Milani <bmilani@web.ca>
This is a “group Individual Directed Study” course providing students an
opportunity for more in-depth exploration of green business concepts,
principles and practices. All students
will have either taken the basic B&E overview course, Perspectives on
Green Business, or obtained consent of the instructor. Each year will
feature a different set of themes, selected by the instructor, but allowing a
fairly wide range of specific focus by students.
Format depends partly
on enrolment and partly on selected themes.
For enrolment of 10 or more, regular weekly classes will be set. For fewer students, lectures, branstorming sessions, field trips, etc. will be arranged
to suit the course agenda and student needs.
Dimensions
2007
This year Dimensions
will be a research course, focused on two specific areas related to market
transformation in the Toronto-area economy:
1.
State of the Local Economy, with specific
emphasis on the relative impacts of local and global businesses.
2.
Green Product information and directory: content, technology and uses.
State of the Local Economy
The purpose of this
focus is to provide or synthesize important economic information that can help
guide local development policy and support independent values-driven
business. Topics include assessing
capital leakage and dependence, local multipliers, patterns of local ownership,
and possibilities for self-reliance in key sectors. Key sectors include food,
clothing, housing, energy, and finance. There can also be a place for students who
have a strong desire to research some other topic or sector. One possible starting point might be a
synthesis of relevant data harvest and analysis already taking place: by
Ideally, we would like to make the research practically-relevant from
the beginning, focusing on a few key topic-areas that could be used for
immediate education—for Local First campaigns and other green development
initiatives. This information could
also provide a basis for subsequent research grant applications.
Green Product Information Various green/community groups
in
These topic areas are currently primary concerns of the local movement
for social and environmental business. Other
topic areas are possible—e.g.
Students therefore
have an opportunity to contribute to practical initiatives in community-based
green market transformation. In this
sense, the course constitutes a form of Action Research. For many students, it can also serve as a
head-start in considering a Major Paper, Major Project or Thesis topic. The course is appropriate for those students
with defined interests and research experience, or for students who just want
to learn by exploring a new area and who have little research experience. But everyone will be expected to have an
active orientation to learning and investigation.
The specific
deliverables for students will be determined by discussion in the first few
weeks. The group will meet in the first
week to determine specific research topics and goals, and division of labour.
Our work goals and processes will also determine how frequently we meet. We will aim (for a typical 3-credit course) a
workload equivalent to a 15-page final term paper, a 20 min. presentation, and
one or two shorter interim reports or updates.
Students will collaborate, but have the option of working more
individually or with a partner or team.
Brian
Milani is coordinator for the
[readings to come; check back
soon]
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