Global Change Seminar -"It's Your Move!"
Table of Contents and Sequence of Activities
Seminar activities are presented in a specific sequence for optimal learning. The Curriculum is outlined below. There are 8 main Segments. Each Segment begins with an Introduction. In the first five Segments, the Introduction is followed by some exercises and reading material. Next, all Segments include a Meeting Preparation section giving homework-type activities and exercises to be done prior to that Segment's Group Meeting. An Agenda is provided to guide a Group Meeting at the end of each Segment. Following each Group Meeting, an online Feedback Form should be completed to provide the authors with information that will be used to improve the Seminar.
The Seminar is self-guided, and participants do the components at a pace agreed on by each Seminar Group. We estimate the individual sections of each Segment will take between a ½ hour and 2 hours to finish. We recommend that groups set a goal of completing a Segment every 1-2 weeks. At this pace, the Seminar will take 2-4 months to complete. There is an intentional flow between the Segments that will be lost if it is interrupted, or too much time elapses between the Segments.
We ask that you register before before starting a small group so that we can track usage of the curriculum. If you want to read the entire curriculum without starting a group, click here.
- Introduction to the Seminar
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Seminar Goals and Objectives
- Overview of Seminar Curriculum
- Affinity Checklist (Quiz)
- Starting a Seminar Group
- Registering for the Seminar
Segment #1: Introduction and Getting Started
This segment gets the group started and prepared for the curriculum, the homework, and the group work. It includes an initial set of meeting preparation activities, and a suggested agenda for the first group meeting. At the end there is a form to provide feedback for the authors on this segment.
Segment #2: Is Our Planet in Trouble?
This segment takes participants through a review of the human understanding of space and time, and then examines current global issues. Some scenarios for the future provoke participant's thinking about how change happens. Again, meeting preparation ("homework") activities are suggested and a group meeting agenda is given.
Segment #3: The Role of Humanity - Consciousness
Segment #3 focuses on the how human beings impact the planet. Topics covered include the awareness of and psychology of consciousness, and the roles of science and religion. As for every segment, there are homework activities and a group meeting agenda.
Segment #4: The Role of Humanity - Values
As a natural consequence of consciousness, human values come into play in everyone's life. This segment takes participants through a process of values clarification and introduces them to a logic of ethics, "Value Logic." A guide to homework activities and a group meeting agenda are offered.
Segment #5: The Role of Humanity - The Impact of Metaphor
Building on segments #3, #4, and #5, this segment helps participants "see" what's really going through focusing on the actual words people use to describe and discuss situations and events. Metaphorical thinking is explained, and the use of therapeutic metaphor (story-telling) in communication is covered. Again, a guide to homework activities and a group meeting agenda are offered.
Segment #6: What Will You Focus On?
The focus of the Seminar now shifts towards aiding participants in uncovering what they want, and want to do in response to what they have learned so far about the condition of the planet, and the human role in it. In this segment, through the guided homework and meeting discussions, participants discover for themselves where they might best focus their energies.
Segment #7: What Are Your Spheres of Influence?
Through some guided homework and the group discussion, participants gain a larger understanding of how they can, do, and might exert influence on global change in the ways they think best.
Segment #8: The Next Steps for "Your Move!"
In this final segment, again through the guided homework and group's discussion, participants decide where they want to go from here as a result of the work done during the seminar. They also put in place some tools that will help them get there.
Next: Starting a Seminar Group