Teaching with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Facilitator: David Buck, Howard Community College

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries -- developed and developing -- in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests” (“Sustainable Development Goals,” para. 1).

Come see how a college composition course was built to revolve around the SDGs. For every major essay in the course, students choose their topics from one of the 17 SDGs. For one of the essays, they must create their own genre (ex: an Internet meme, a blog posting, a video, a Prezi presentation, a song, a poem, an article, etc.) based on their reaction to one of the SDGs. By participating in these global issues/problems, students can develop the characteristics of global citizens, individuals who are active in their local and global communities while exhibiting empathy for those around them.