What To Do About A F%$#ed Up World: A Survey of Our Planetary Predicament

How did we get to where we are as a society and where are we headed? How is our world tied to extraction, and what does this mean for the future? Where does our money come from, and how does debt fuel the global financial system? How close are we to the limits to growth and energy? 
 
Through student-led discussions, guest lectures, excursions, and WILD parties, we will delve into these questions and forge a platform for understanding and engaging with how energy shapes our world, and the implications it has on our experiences as humans, but more importantly, as one species in a sea of many. As a student-run space, we aim to create room for collective learning, questioning, and action as we examine our systems and society, perhaps along the way disrupting traditional hierarchical models of education and learning. As fellow students, we are hoping to learn from you just as much as you’ll (hopefully) learn from us. Come in with an open mind and willingness to share your ideas and perspectives and you will come out with a more connected and nuanced understanding of the way we see the world and ourselves in it. We hope this experience will be informative, entertaining, and transformative…and that you’ll make a few great connections/friends along the way. 
 
Led by two Honors student facilitators, the experience will consist of weekly 90 minute sessions. Exploring materials (often articles, readings, videos, or podcasts) will take place independently prior to sessions to provide a common context for discussion and fulfill Honors requirements, but we aim to make this course as accessible as possible. As students, we certainly understand how much coursework you have each week! Sessions will typically begin with a unifying recap on the week’s assigned content followed by various formats of group discussion and activities. We will also invite a host of guest lecturers from a national network of ecological economists, Indigenous leaders, and University professors with topical expertise to share their knowledge.