Sustainability and Higher Education

For this assignment, you are asked to produce a critical analysis of a scholarly work in the general subject area of “Sustainability and Higher Education,” based on a reading that you will choose from a special edition of the journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning

OVERVIEW For this assignment, you are asked to produce a critical analysis of a scholarly work in the general subject area of “Sustainability and Higher Education,” based on a reading that you will choose from a special edition of the journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning. The assignment is due on Friday, September 23, 2022, before 11:59 pm (end of day, Toronto time), and it is worth 10% of your course mark. When you have completed the assignment, go to our course Quercus site and upload your file in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. The assignment should be completed in full-sentence prose, approximately 4 pages in length (singlespaced, that would be about 2000 words of text). You shouldn’t need to use additional outside sources for this assignment, but if you do, they should be cited and referenced using APA style. The assignment will be submitted automatically to Ouriginal for a textual similarity analysis. You won't have to make a separate submission; it is integrated with Quercus. See the Syllabus and Academic & Writing Resources on our Quercus site for more information about this. OBJECTIVES In completing this assignment, you will: • practice critical thinking, reading, analytical, and writing skills; • acquire some of the terminology of disciplines related to sustainability and higher education; • familiarize yourself with sustainability-related research in the context of higher education; and • relate your critical analysis and evaluation of a piece of scholarly work to your own educational context. BACKGROUND: WHAT IS CRITICAL ANALYSIS? As you are aware, there are different types of academic writing. In some of your courses you might be asked to produce descriptive or summative writing; or you might be asked for analytical, critical, or evaluative writing. What is the difference? These types of scholarly writing are related and interdependent, but they have different objectives, approaches, and outcomes: • A “summary” of a text involves a straightforward description of the work – including things like its main objectives or purpose, the methods used, the principal intended audience, and the main thesis or research question. It is sometimes said that summative or descriptive writing answers the questions: “What, where, who, and when?” • An “analysis” is a more detailed and thorough examination of the text. It involves reading, describing, and summarizing the text very carefully, but also breaking it into its constituent components, and examining the methods, approaches, and even the terminology used in the work. It can be said that analytical writing answers the questions: “How, and why?” • A “critical analysis” or “evaluation” goes even farther. It involves evaluating the text within its broader academic or practical context, assessing its effectiveness, and considering the significance or implications of the work. A critical analysis answers the questions: “So what, and what next?” Writing a critical analysis of a text is therefore built upon summarizing or describing the text; analyzing the text; and then evaluating the text. Producing a critical analysis requires two main sets of skills: critical reading and critical writing. You’re going to work on both of these skill sets in this assignment. The following is a summary of some of the differences between descriptive and critical analytical writing: Descriptive Writing Critical Analytical Writing • Summarizes the topic • Provides a comprehensive snapshot • Explains the context of the research • Describes what happened or what is being studied • Highlights the most important points • Lists details or information • Provides a logical organization of facts • Sets the context and summarizes the work without developing a particular argument • Gives new perspectives on the topic • Reorganizes or recategorizes information (rather than just presenting facts) • Highlights links or relationships • Compares and contrasts information and interpretations • Analyzes the effectiveness of methodologies or terminologies used, or the reasons why these approaches were used • Evaluates and explains the significance of the facts, information, and interpretations • Relates the work’s conclusions or results to a broader academic or practical context • Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of an argument or a thesis • Identifies whether a proposed course of action is appropriate • (Usually) argues for a particular position, with critical evaluation of evidence and consideration of alternatives It is also important to recognize that different disciplines (and therefore different courses) may have important differences in how these various forms of writing are utilized or carried out. If you are asked to do a critical analysis, you should always follow the guidelines given to you in the specific circumstance. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS Step 1: Get oriented. On our course Quercus site in the Week 12 Module, you will find the following assigned reading: Michel, J.O. (2020) Toward Conceptualizing Education for Sustainability in Higher Education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, vol. 2020, no. 161, p. 23-33. This paper by Michel (2020) sets some context for a special volume of the journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning. The special volume is focused on the general topic of Teaching and Learning About Sustainability in Higher Education. You can access the whole volume here: https://onlinelibrary-wileycom.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/toc/15360768/2020/2020/161 According to editor Michel (2020), the papers in this special volume are organized into three main groups: 1. Part I An Overview of Education for Sustainability in Higher Education lays the groundwork by defining education for sustainability, and providing social and economic examples of it 2. Part II Promising Pedagogical Practices for Education for Sustainability showcases auspicious practices for teaching higher education students about sustainability 3. Part III Ideal Outcomes of Education for Sustainability sheds light on the ideal outcomes for Education for Sustainability (EfS) These topics are relevant to our own academic endeavours at the University of Toronto, so it seems worthwhile to spend some time critically reading and evaluating some of this work. To get started on the assignment, read the paper by Michel (2020) referenced above. I also suggest that you read the very short editorial that introduces the special volume – it will provide additional information about the context in which these studies were carried out: Michel, J.O. (2020) Editor’s Notes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, vol. 2020, no. 161, p.7-11