Title: Teaching for liveable futures: sustainability beyond the obvious

Names of presenters: Ms. Susan McAnsh, Dr. Magda Karjalainen and Dr. Eva Braidwood

Affiliation: Centre for Languages and Communication Lingua, University of Oulu

Email addresses: suzy.mcansh@oulu.fi, eva.braidwood@oulu.fi, Magda.Karjalainen@oulu.fi

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Keywords: sustainability education, university curriculum, sustainability mindset, infused, liveable future

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Abstract:

When we think of sustainability education in universities, we often picture courses on circular economy, biodiversity, renewable energy, and climate literacy. Although such dedicated courses span a wide realm of disciplines, they represent only a small fraction of the university curriculum, and few teachers have the expertise or mandate to teach them. Most of us run courses that may seem largely unconnected to sustainability issues.  This perceived disconnection often stems from a narrow view of sustainability. We believe that teachers of any course have the possibility to help their students develop skills and attitudes that enable them to contribute to shaping the changing world in responsible ways. In our presentation, we introduce our work at the University of Oulu, Finland, aimed at helping teachers and curriculum planners foster a sustainability mindset by building on a range of principles, skills and approaches that can be infused throughout a course in any discipline. Placing sustainability at the heart of our teaching reminds us that ecological, social, cultural, and economic dimensions are inseparable. By adopting this mindset, educators can support students in making ethical decisions and taking actions that balance environmental, social, and economic needs for long-term planetary well-being and securing a liveable future.