Assessing Interdisciplinary Learning and Student Activism in a Water Issues Course

Main Article Content

Stephen J. Juris
Anja Mueller
Cathy Willermet
Eron Drake
Samik Upadhaya
Pratik Chhetri

Abstract

In response to a request from a campus student organization, faculty from three fields came together to develop and teach an integrated interdisciplinary course on water issues and social activism. This course, “Water as Life, Death, and Power”, brought together issues from the fields of anthropology, biology and chemistry to explore water rights, access to clean water, and water treatment methods. Students enrolled in the course developed interdisciplinary projects related to a variety of local and global water issues to present real-world solutions at a university-wide student research showcase. This article reports the assessment outcomes of the course, measuring changes in both interdisciplinary learning and levels of student activism.

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How to Cite
Juris, S. J., Mueller, A., Willermet, C., Drake, E., Upadhaya, S., & Chhetri, P. (2014). Assessing Interdisciplinary Learning and Student Activism in a Water Issues Course. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(2), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v14i2.4052
Section
Articles
Author Biographies

Stephen J. Juris, Central Michigan University

Associate Professor of Biology

Department of Biology

Anja Mueller, Central Michigan University

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Department of Chemistry

Cathy Willermet, Central Michigan University

Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work

Eron Drake, Central Michigan University

Assistant Director

Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching

Samik Upadhaya, Central Michigan University

Teaching Assistant

Department of Chemistry

Pratik Chhetri, Central Michigan University

Teaching Assistant

Department of Chemistry

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