Managing Complexity for an Abundant Future (APA2013.01)

Jesse McDougall

Everywhere we look—ecologically, economically, politically, socially—it seems we’re looking at disaster. Under a barrage of bad news, it is easy to understand why humans around the globe are suffering from depression, anxiety, anti-humanistic sentiment, and a devastating lack of hope.

But it does not need to be so.

A new and hopeful movement is growing around the globe—one driven by people who refuse to resign themselves and future generations to a terrible fate. Instead, they work to create a new, abundant, and resilient future.

This challenging course will examine the current global crises—through the lenses of regenerative agriculture, climate change adaptation and practical solutions that produce clean water, healthy soil, renewable energy—and trace their origins back to their root cause: the human proclivity for reductionist management of universal complexity. We will examine projects from around the globe that are creating abundance from scarcity and resilience from instability: how they happened, why they succeeded, and how to recreate them in more places.

Armed with the tools, understanding, and hope discussed in this course, students will learn how the future can be bright for humans, the Earth, and all life on it.


Learning Outcomes:
-complex systems analysis
-regenerative agriculture skills
-resilience concepts
-climate mitigation and adaptation strategies



Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 2
W 8:30AM - 12:10PM (1st seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Course Frequency: One time only

Categories: 2000 , Advancement of Public Action , All courses , First Seven Week , Fully In-Person , Two Credit , Updates
Tags: