Sustainability in Mexican Higher Education: towards a new academic and professional culture |
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| Institution: | 1. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, Col Reynosa Tamaulipas, 02200 México, DF, Mexico;2. Erasmus University in Rotterdam (EUR), the Netherlands Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Azcapotzalco, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 Dr Rotterdam, The Netherlands;1. Monash University, Room 60/104, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia;2. Monash University, Room 31/126, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia;3. Queensland University of Technology, Room S774, Gardens Point Campus, 2 George Street, Brisbane 4001, Queensland, Australia;1. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15300, 00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland;2. Dept. of Energy Technology, Aalto University, P.O. Box 14100, 00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland;3. Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 4, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;1. Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA;2. Department of Otolaryngology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA;3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA;4. Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute, Menlo Park, CA;5. Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC;1. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, School of Civil Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology, Engineering Sciences and Global Development Research Group, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, C2 310, 08034, Barcelona, Spain;2. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology, Engineering Sciences and Global Development Research Group, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Ed. K2M, 08034, Barcelona, Spain |
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| Abstract: | This article focuses on institutions of higher education and the introduction of sustainability in the curricula of these institutions. It states that a very important part of developing new curricula is the focus on a new academic and professional culture. The key argument is as follows. Normally institutions of higher education build upon the training that students received in previous phases of education. That is why institutions of higher education can focus on education in highly specific and specialized knowledge and skills. Education for sustainability, however, cannot follow this ‘normal’ pathway because much of what students learned in their previous education does not fit into the paradigm of sustainability. That is why sustainability education should include a partial ‘re-education’ and ‘re-programming’ of students. The article presents a framework for such a new academic and professional culture focussing on sustainability. It shows how this framework is developed within the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Azcapotzalco (UAM-A) in Mexico. The article also shows how the development of this framework is embedded in various initiatives on a national and international level. First of all the framework is developed as part of the design and implementation of an environmental plan for the whole university. The making of this plan is encouraged by the Mexican National Association of Universities and Higher Educations Institutions. Since the year 2002 this Association stimulates all major universities in Mexico to develop and implement such an environmental plan. These activities on their turn fit very well into the “United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” that started in January 2005. Finally the article presents the first promising results of the new course “The environmental challenges” that is based on many elements of the framework. It was started in 2005 in the Division of Basic Sciences and Engineering of UAM-Azcapotzalco, Mexico. |
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