This study reports on student responses to ENVS 811: Multiple ways of knowing in environmental de... more This study reports on student responses to ENVS 811: Multiple ways of knowing in environmental decision-making, a graduate level course which focuses on helping students come to some understandings of the connections between their own knowing and Indigenous ways of coming to know as they prepare for both professional and research careers in the environmental field. Although the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges into resource management decision-making processes is increasingly being recognized as important, effective application remains elusive. Lack of understanding, or acceptance, of the broad scope of Indigenous knowledges continues to make it difficult, if not impossible, for those trained in Eurocentric, or Western educational programs to include anything more than empirical observations by Indigenous peoples into environmental decision-making. In the context of this course, intuition and animism are used as useful bridging concepts to enable a fuller understanding, and valuing, of multiple ways of coming to know. Based on in-person interviews and responses to a brief email questionnaire, six key themes emerged. These included concerns about the role of the course within the larger program; connection to students’ personal research and professional practice; and the impacts of: the particular course instructor, guest speakers, assigned course readings, and the structure of the course and individual classes.
This study reports on student responses to ENVS 811: Multiple ways of knowing in environmental de... more This study reports on student responses to ENVS 811: Multiple ways of knowing in environmental decision-making, a graduate level course which focuses on helping students come to some understandings of the connections between their own knowing and Indigenous ways of coming to know as they prepare for both professional and research careers in the environmental field. Although the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges into resource management decision-making processes is increasingly being recognized as important, effective application remains elusive. Lack of understanding, or acceptance, of the broad scope of Indigenous knowledges continues to make it difficult, if not impossible, for those trained in Eurocentric, or Western educational programs to include anything more than empirical observations by Indigenous peoples into environmental decision-making. In the context of this course, intuition and animism are used as useful bridging concepts to enable a fuller understanding, and valuing, of multiple ways of coming to know. Based on in-person interviews and responses to a brief email questionnaire, six key themes emerged. These included concerns about the role of the course within the larger program; connection to students’ personal research and professional practice; and the impacts of: the particular course instructor, guest speakers, assigned course readings, and the structure of the course and individual classes.
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Papers by M.J. Barrett