Cmty Dev & Apld Econ: Sustainable Community Dev

Introduction to perspectives and methods used to develop healthy communities that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable with rural and urban, US and international examples. Prerequisites: CDAE 1020, ENVS 1510, or Instructor permission. Cross-listed with: ENVS 2470.

Pre-req: CDAE 1610 or equivalent; Asynchronous online

CDAE 2020 is a core course for the four majors offered in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics: Community-Centered Design, Community Entrepreneurship, Community & International Development, and Public Communication. We also welcome students from a diverse range of majors from across UVM. This course provides an introduction to perspectives, methods, and strategies used to develop healthy communities that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable at a local scale. Using rural and urban examples, we will investigate sustainable community development using the community capitals framework. Students will be introduced to the complex issues facing local communities, from community health and energy to housing, agriculture, and community economic development. Tools and strategies for addressing these issues will be a focus of the course lectures, the community forum, readings, and multi-media materials. Our four (intense!) weeks “together” will be dedicated to understanding and applying key threshold concepts of sustainable community development. You will investigate a community of place (a city or town in the United States) of your choosing using the community capitals framework on our course blog, “Communities in Action” as well as in the final “Letter of Intent” written assignment.

This summer course is organized into weekly asynchronous modules that will be released no later than 10:00 AM each Monday morning. We will cover two modules per week for each of our four weeks together. Each module contains a combination of audio-recorded mini-lectures, community forum participation, quizzes, blog assignments, and a final written deliverable. You will find expectations and deadlines for each module are clearly outlined in the module’s agenda on Brightspace. Multi-media materials such as video and audio clips have been integrated into the modules to enhance your understanding of course concepts as applied in the practice of community development. Students are expected to show respect for divergent views and demonstrate professionalism throughout the course. The asynchronous structure of the course makes it ideal for students juggling internships, jobs, family responsibilities, etc. as long as they have regular access to the internet and make a dedicated plan for keeping up with the class materials via Brightspace.

Students will be evaluated via written deliverables (blog posts, final assignment), weekly quizzes, and participation in the community forum via YellowDig.