Cmty Dev & Apld Econ: CL: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.

Prereqs: CDAE 1020, ENVS 1510 or Instructor Permission; Class will meet in person on WF, and M will be asynchronous online Open to degree and PACE students

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 to housing, agriculture, and community economic development. Tools and strategies for addressing these issues will be a focus of the course lectures, activities, film clips and readings. The first part of the semester provides an introduction to the concepts and theories of community development. The second part of the semester will explore the application and practice of community development. Several guest speakers from community organizations will share their experiences with us, offering students exposure to a variety of professional pathways.

Sustainable community development requires us all to be critical thinkers and effective communicators in order to seek solutions to the complex issues facing our communities. Students are expected to be active, engaged, and respectful participants. For the Spring 2025 semester, the class will be structured using a hybrid approach for full class weeks. Each Monday will feature a recorded lecture available to students via the course Brightspace page and attendance will be measured by completed of a mini-quiz based on the recorded lecture. Most Wednesdays will feature in person discussion group sessions where students will have the opportunity to engage with each other in smaller groups. On Fridays, we will gather in person for an in-person lecture. All students are expected to contribute thoughtfully to these discussions. Students will be asked to reflect on our individual roles as responsible citizens in sustainable community development. Please refer to UVM’s “Our Common Ground” statement to be familiar with the values that have been identified as being core to our shared experience as members of the UVM community. Preparation and reflection before each class session is essential to fully participating this course. Considerations in evaluating your participation will include content, forethought, quality and frequency of your contributions (lecture and discussion groups). Short in-class participation activities will be integrated over randomly selected class dates during the semester for attendance tracking purposes. Attendance at all discussion group sessions is expected as these sessions are not easily recreated. Learning Objectives: 1. Recognize complex inter-relationships that exist between our social, economic and natural systems in terms of sustainability and community development; 2. Analyze community development initiatives, challenges, and projects using the community capitals framework and a systems-thinking mindset; 3. Examine a community using a variety of sources, ranging from data from the US Census Bureau, municipal reports, state data sources, and organizational indicators to information from national and local media; 4. Demonstrate critical and thoughtful understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the community development field; 5. Articulate their personal role and interest in developing sustainable communities that are healthy, resilient places to work, live, and play.

The course grade is based on: attendance and participation, weekly recorded lecture quizzes, and a variety of writing assignments.