DOI
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2020-0176

Summary
This paper provides a reflexive case study of the design, content and impact of a course on eco-justice that integrates relational learning with an equity and justice lens.
This EcoJustice course was developed to address current shortfalls in sustainability education. In fact, it was developed to foster transformative learning towards sustainability using a relational, justice-oriented approach. The development of this course was the outcome of a broad consultation process between the Courage of Care Coalition in the United States and the “A Mindset for the Anthropocene” project at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Germany.
The development and implementation of the course followed three phases:
• Phase I: development of the EcoJustice course
• Phase II: prototype in Ratna Ling
• Phase III: online course at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies.
Data was collected during the course period (from online discussion platforms) and afterwards through in-class group discussions and a follow-up survey.
Courage of Care has developed a social movement-based strategy that aligned well with the ideas of the EcoJustice course. It aimed to help individuals and organizations develop compassionate, just, and equitable communities of practice (CoPs) through training in relational care practices (loving), anti-oppressive pedagogies (seeing), restorative healing tools (healing), visionary and artistic tools (envisioning) and systems thinking (acting). These five core capacities were taught iteratively using a modular approach. While the same modular approach was kept, the content of each module was further developed to address current gaps in sustainability research, practice and education. An overview of the course’s logical steps and learning objectives is presented.
The results show how relational approaches can support transformative learning for sustainability and provide concrete practices, pathways and recommendations for curricula development that other universities/training institutions could follow or learn from.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper proposes approaches to reimagine higher education. The described Ecojustice course deals with relational approaches to link personal, societal and ecological transformations for sustainability.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this paper is that even though the practices and features identified have been used within education previously, yet this case study shows the possibility of linking them to relational approaches and social justice issues, offering promising pathways for further developing transformative education for sustainability that other universities/training institutions could follow or learn from.