Download Date - The Open University

Date
Seminar Details
2nd June
The context
A visit to the UK in June by Professor David Waltner-Toews,
a Canadian, systems practicing, veterinary epidemiologist
and published poet, provides a unique opportunity to
explore new forms of creative systems practice that merge
systems thinking, art and learning. David has extensive
experience of applying his form of creative systems practice
in developing countries and these experiences also provide
inspiration for his poetry.
On the day, he will be supported by other practitioners such
as Tim Jackson (Climate Change / environmental stories on
radio), Jaqui Lee (Climate change / popular drama),
Tomomi Iguchi (director of CrossOver, work on art and
water), and many others. We hope this will be the first of a
series of events over the next 18 months sponsored by
SPMC and the newly formed Open Systems research group
(OSRG) to celebrate the United Nations Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development which starts in
January 2005. Stressing the importance that education has
in environmental debates and actions is not new. Where
novelty blossoms, though, is through the creation of new
types of learning and teaching processes as well as through
the opening up of educational institutional boundaries.
It is in this spirit and for these reasons that this event is to
be hosted by SPMC and OSRG. , Our focus In view of
exploring some innovative paths that Systems practice in
the context of 'environmental education' could take, as well
as building up on previous experience and knowledge,
SPMC and OSRG invite you to a one day event focused on
CREATIVE SYSTEMS PRACTICE: ART FORMS,
LEARNING PROCESSES and the ENVIRONMENT. We
are interested in exploring how arts can help in contributing
to the improvement of 'green higher education' as well as in
capturing and representing the interdisciplinary and holistic
essence of systems thinking and practice. Why? It can be
argued that one of the primary purposes of the arts is to
draw out issues of concern, to provoke, to raise awareness
and to challenge. As such, art, design and the performing
arts represent a particularly fertile area for cross-curriculum
greening. There now exists an ecological art movement that
comprises innumerable examples of initiatives that provoke
public imagination into thinking about environmental
concerns and sustainability as well as questions about
social and personal attitudes towards the environment.
Organisation of the day
Some of these initiatives will be presented by a variety of
guests in the morning, as well as through posters. After
lunch, we will work in groups in view of developing some
ideas of how to creatively 'learn and teach' about the issues
raised in the afternoon talk on 'ecosystem health and
sustainability' presented by David Waltner-Toews.
Our objective is to facilitate a stimulating, inspiring and
creative day during which our understanding of what helps
people learn carries on improving in a convivial and creative
way.
Venue: The Old Lecture Theatre - from 10:30 - 4:30
Contact and registration: Monica Shelley
(mailto:[email protected]) or Sandrine Simon
(mailto:[email protected]) Fee £20 including lunch
3rd June
The next seminar in the Citizenship series is given by
Aleksander Szczerbiak, from the University of Sussex, on
'Citizens Choosing Europe? Comparative Lessons from the
2003 EU Accession Referendums'. The event will be held in
Room 006, Gardiner 1 on Thursday 3 June at 2pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend. The seminars are funded by
the Centre for Citizenship, Identity and Governance and
organised by Raia Prokhovnikm Government and Politics.