The primary goal of this project is to develop a curricular design and educational resources to enable graduate students in the natural sciences to develop the fundamental skills needed to navigate difficult ethical issues found at the intersection of public policy and environmental science. Towards this goal, this project is developing four tools: (1) a model for effective practical deliberation; (2) reading guides and screen casts for texts in environmental ethics; (3) a curricular design that gives students an opportunity to build skills in deliberation and communication in public venues; and (4) and short-case study and documentary videos. The crux of this deliberative model approach is to focus on the practical dilemmas that arise. This approach enables students to isolate and clarify the various sources of conflict about environmental issues. Students will learn to identify three sources of conflict: those that stem from disagreements over moral principles and ideals; those that stem from differences in political commitments, economic interests and legal interpretation; and those that stem from differences in scientific understanding of environmental issues including different assessments of risk and uncertainty. The educational resources are designed to help students draw more effectively on the literature in environmental ethics, including some of the seminal classic texts by Leopold, Muir, and Thoreau, as well as more contemporary texts in applied ethics as they sort through environmental debates of social concern. With a richer understanding of the ethical issues, and an ability to communicate effectively in a public setting, we believe that students will be in a better position to work through and understand the underlying disagreements in a more thoughtful and intelligent manner. In order to practice what they have learned, the curricular design provides students with opportunities to participate in and lead discussions about climate change and other environmental issues of regional importance in a range of public settings including native communities within the region. Implementing these opportunities will also strengthen students' deliberative and communicative skills as they engage in dialogues with a broad cross-section of the public. The impact of this work is expected to be very broad. The development and implementation of the community engagement activities build off existing outreach connections between NAU and the surrounding community and will engage Native American communities in the proposed discourse activities. Educational resources will be shared with the broader community, including the Museum of Northern Arizona, who will work with the project team to integrate these resources into the activities and displays of the museum. All of the educational resources and scaled versions of the curricular materials will be made publicly available through a variety of online channels, including YouTube.
