Zachary Czuprynski, Prescott College, Sustainability
Introduction to Ecological Economics
I attended the 2023 Valley and Ridge workshop to create a course that fills a gap in economics education for undergraduates at Prescott College. My proposed project was redesigning an online MBA course called “The Economics of Sustainable Organizations and Communities” into an in-person undergraduate “Ecological Economics” (EE) course for students in Environmental Studies and Sustainability. The original MBA course focused on economic tools for sustainable organizational management and decision-making. Instead, I designed the Ecological Economics course as an interdisciplinary lens for undergraduates to frame and explore modern sustainability challenges from local to global scales.
One of the benefits of attending Valley and Ridge was the academic diversity of the workshop cohort. I collaborated with professors in international business, theater, architecture, GIS, and others, who each contributed a unique perspective to group conversations and provided valuable feedback to my proposed course. The workshop also provided an overview of sustainability education and pedagogical tools through the shared vocabulary of the Sustainable Development Goals. I learned techniques for engaging students in economics using place-based and experiential approaches. For example, students in EE take a field trip to the local farmers market and compare prices of market produce to produce in nearby supermarkets. This activity can lead to insights into the shortcomings of current economic price mechanisms and open discussions about potential policies or alternative systems that support a sustainable future. The course also provides intentional space for value-based conversations with students. Throughout the term, students will inventory and reflect on their values and assess how their worldview aligns with the values embedded in the fields of economics and sustainability. Overall, I aspire for undergraduates to use the main concepts presented in ecological economics as critical lenses for addressing sustainability challenges in upper-level classes.