Integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) into an inclusive and equitable undergraduate curriculum can provide all students with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify, understand, and contribute solutions to big global problems. A significant challenge is that the perspectives and methods of single disciplines are inadequate to address big global problems. How can students and faculty collaborate with others from different disciplines and with diverse perspectives to identify, understand, and address the complex challenges facing the world in the 21st century? High Impact Practices (HIPs) can effectively engage students through shared learning and inquiry. However, are HIPs such as undergraduate research accessible to all students, in particular working class and minority groups? We will outline our approach to making inclusive curricular change at the institutional levels at Bridgewater State University (BSU), with the UN Sustainable Development Goals providing a unifying framework for faculty and students. This work was supported by an institutional Academic Innovations Grant, and a grant from the CUR/NSF Transformations Project.
Presenters:
Jacquelynne Boivin (she/her), Assistant Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Bridgewater State University
Edward Brush (he/him), Professor of Chemistry, Bridgewater State University
John Kucich (he/him), Professor of English, Bridgewater State University
Inkyoung Kim (she/her), Associate Professor of Political Science, Bridgewater State University