Teaching about Environmental Public Affairs Using an Ecosystem Approach: Integrating Academic Disciplines

Abstract

This paper proposes an interdisciplinary, ecosystem focus as a way of preparing future environmental managers. The authors investigated the effectiveness of this approach in classroom teaching with college students from a variety of academic disciplines in two college environmental courses that were designed to focus on local ecosystems, wetlands and the Great Lakes. The interdisciplinary approach enabled students from various disciplines to interact cooperatively, learn to communicate with each other, and work through challenging environmental policy and science content. When student performance was compared with academic discipline and level in college, there was no advantage to being a particular college major in terms of the grades earned in the courses. In addition, post-course surveys indicated that students wanted more courses where their classmates came from a variety of disciplines, and that they enjoyed having at least two professors teach the course, one from public affairs and one from the natural sciences. This article outlines some teaching toots that were used effectively to help students explore an ecosystem view of environmental public affairs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelly Tzoumis

Kelly Tzoumis is an associate professor of public administration in the School of Policy Studies at Roosevelt University, Tzoumis's B.S. in chemistry microbiology, and zoology and her M.P.A. are from Iowa State University. Her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University is in public administration/public policy, with a special emphasis in environmental policy and management. Her work has concentrated on the public policy, agenda setting, and environmental policies of brownflelds, wetlands, the Great Lakes, and NEPA. Before joining the faculty at Roosevelt University, she worked for seven years as a program manager and external liaison in the cleanup and NEPA programs at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., and in the Chicago and Idaho field offices. She also served as a congressional fellow with former Senator Paul Simon working on environmental and science policy issues. Her book, titled Environmental Policy Making in Congress from 1789–1999: The Cases of Wetlands, the Great Lakes, and Wildlife Policies, published in 2001, includes a blend of science and agenda setting for understanding environmental policymaking in Congress. Recently, Tzoumis received the teacher of the year award at Roosevelt University.

Vicky McKinley

Vicky McKinley is an associate professor of biology in the School of Science and Mathematics at Roosevelt University. She earned her B.S. in biology and chemistry at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in biology at the University of Cincinnati. After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Calgary, Alberta, she came to Roosevelt University in 1987. Her research focuses on the microbial ecology of the decomposition process, and she has published work on the microbial communities in Arctic lakes and streams, sewage sludge composts, oil wells, and prairie soils. In addition to environmental science, she teaches ecology, microbiology, biotechnology, and an introductory course on science methods. She received the Roosevelt University faculty teaching and service award in 1997.