Newsletter – January 2012
Warm greetings for 2012 to all our newsletter readers. We hope this year is a rewarding and hopeful one for you.
2011 was a very busy and exciting year for the College, with the start of the new MA Economics for Transition, preparations for our new vocational courses and a jam-packed Short Course programme with more participants passing through the College doors than at any time before.
2012 will be another busy year as we see the start of a new MSc in Sustainable Horticulture and Food Production alongside all our existing activities. We hope you will visit us and be part of the dynamic and exciting new learning that will take place this year.
Spirit, Science And Consciousness: Living With The Paradoxes
February 13 – March 2, 2012 | Jean Boulton, Chris Clarke, Shantena Sabbadini, Amit Goswami and Nora Bateson
As our scientific understanding of the universe becomes ever more complex, so too do our questions: What is matter? What is consciousness? What is mind? What is space? This coming February, Schumacher College offers you three, week-long courses that will help guide you through the new scientific discoveries and how they relate to these hugely important questions.
This series of courses, which can be taken individually or in combination,
brings together world renowned experts who will draw on the latest research in quantum physics and complexity science, along with Jungian psychology and Eastern philosophy, to lead you to a deeper understanding of consciousness and awareness
Click here for further information or to book this course
Jean Boulton who teaches on this course, writes about the ‘re-enchantment of science’
‘Modernist views of science focus on its universal character. To call something science is to say we can understand the situation objectively, that experiments are repeatable, that any theories hold everywhere and always. But does such a science apply to all situations? What is being ignored when we apply such thinking to the human and social world? Are there other views of science?‘ Read more here >>
Ecological Facilitation: A Gritty and Creative Approach to Leadership
March 5-23, 2012 | Jenny Mackewn, Toni Spencer, Jean-Claude Audergon, Tim “Mac” Macartney and Stephan Harding
The world is increasingly volatile and unpredictable. There’s a hunger and a need for a new kind of leadership – which can venture into the unknown and start making a new future.
This practical and evocative course brings together some of the leading voices in Ecological Facilitation and will help you develop your theoretical and practical skills in group process, leadership and change. Through a range of participatory and creative approaches the course will empower you to better facilitate and lead groups and organizations in the service of creating a more sustainable future. It will open up a wealth of ideas, practices and skills that allow you to facilitate and lead with clarity in the midst of uncertainty.
Click here for further information or to book this course
Cultivating an Ecoliterate Worldview
March to September 2012 (Residential dates: Sunday 25 March to 5 April, 2012 at Schumacher College)
There are still a few places left on our popular six month programme: Cultivating an Ecoliterate Worldview which starts with a two week intensive at the College (March 25th), followed by a facilitated six month online study group.
Course Facilitator Emily Ryan writes about how last years course is progressing.
‘The CEW programme is now significantly underway, with all seventeen participants back in their home places undergoing the wonderfully dynamic challenge of integrating what they experienced during the residential intensive into their personal and professional lives. One of the most exciting aspects of the programme…’ Read more here
Click here for further information or to book this course
News from our Masters programmes
Holistic Science – An Ecology of Mind
This February 22nd we are delighted to welcome Nora Bateson for one of the College Open Evenings. There will be a special screening of her award winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father Gregory Bateson, whose thinking greatly influenced the development of our Masters in Holistic Science.
Click here for an interview we’ve done with Nora, plus thoughts on Gregory’s work from our Holistic Science Visiting Lecturer Peter Reason.
Click here for further information about the MSc Holistic Science
Economics for Transition: New approaches to sustainability – from capitals to systems thinking
Julie Richardson, co-Head of Economics at Schumacher College writes about Forum for Future’s new Sustainable Economy Framework and the importance this places on an holistic and systemic approach to tackling the complex challenges of the 21st century.
Click here for further information about the MA Economics for Transition
Masters Open Day – February 11, 2012
If you are interested in one of our Masters programmes and can travel to the UK, February 11th will be the Schumacher College Open Day. With visiting teachers, debates around the central questions in sustainable economics, food production and holistic science, film screenings, nature walks and the the fabulous food we are renowned for, it’s a great time to visit if you want to find out more. Further information will be posted on the website as it becomes available.
New Short Courses for 2012
A number of new courses have recently been added to our extensive short course programme – details below:
Course Title
Date
The Future of Food and Farming: Creating a Resilient System
April 13-20, 2012
Collapsonomics: Making a good job of living through difficult times
April 30 – May 4, 2012
Soul in Nature: Experiencing the Connection
May 14-25, 2012
Hoodwinked! What Wrecked our Economy and How to Fix It
May 21-25, 2012
Ecopsychology: Experiencing the Ecological Self
May 27 – June 1, 2012
Complexity and Collaboration: Applying Complexity Theory to Organisational Transformation
June 11-15, 2012
Body and Earth
June 18-22, 2012
What About Monday Morning?
September 21 – 23, 2012
College news
Help us understand your learning experience.
To help us continually improve the unique learning experience at the College we are currently partnered with Plymouth University on a research project that seeks to better understand transformative learning. The online questionnaire will take less than 20 minutes and is designed to help us learn more from your experiences – we would greatly appreciate your help.
Click on the link here to take part in the survey
Land Use Partnerships
This January sees the launch of the Land Use Partnerships Handbook we’ve been developing with LandShare, the National Trust and Fresh Start here in the UK. This book is a detailed guide for land owners on how to unlock their land for business and social enterprise. Taking a lead from the principles being taught in our Masters in Economics for Transition, the aim of this project is to bring together land, labour, capital and ideas in order to catalyse rural regeneration.
Check the LandShare website for further information on this project at www.landshare.org
Click here for a downloadable version of the handbook >>
Animate Earth available on DVD
The DVD of Animate Earth, written and presented by Dr Stephan Harding is now available to purchase. Click here >>
The film features stunning photography plus interviews with leading thinkers and activists, including Fritjof Capra, Vandana Shiva, Iain McGilchrist Brian Goodwin and Jules Cashford and Satish Kumar.
Animate Earth has been screened and supported by The Gaia Foundation, The Quakers, Ecobuddhists, Schumacher College, The Schumacher Centenary Festival, Artists for Planet Earth, ABOCA for Ecology, The Flux Foundation Norway, COP15, Resurgence Magazine, Natures at Wilderness Festival, and the RSPB Scotland.
Please visit the Animate Earth website for more information www.animateearth.com
Open Evenings for 2012
January 4, Sophy Banks – Story Telling and Culture Shifts
January 11, Jonathan Dawson – Returning to Source: The Role of Social Innovation in The Great Transition
January 25, Mary Mellor – Bringing Economics down to Earth
February 1, Nigel Topping
February 8, Tim Crabtree – Local initiatives to build a new economy
February 15, Chris Clarke – Quantum Theory and Consciousness: An Exploration
February 22, Nora Bateson film and Q&A – An Ecology of Mind
February 29, Amit Goswami – Science within consciousness.
Social Media
Money and Morality by Satish Kumar
Satish Kumar, Visiting Fellow and Editor of Resurgence Magazine, discusses the importance of an economy which is embedded in the context of people and Nature. Read it here >>
World Wide We – two months on! By Joanna Brown
Dr Joanna Brown, College Open Learning Manager and creator of the World Wide We (WWWe) Foundation, gives us an update on how the project is developing and how you can get involved. Read it here >>
A Film for Our Time by Dr Stephan Harding
Stephan Harding, Head of Holistic Science at Schumacher College, further explores the idea of an animate Earth in a new film. Read it here >>
What About Monday Morning? by Tim Malnick
Tim Malnick, co-director of the MSc in Sustainability and Responsibility at Ashridge Business School writes about finding fulfilment and meaning in the workplace using a range of techniques including meditation. Read it here >>
Visit our blog here: http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/blog
Other events
Earth Pilgrim at Posada del Valle – 13rd – 19th April, 2012
Join Satish Kumar & Sebastian Burch in the beautiful Asturian mountains, villages and coastlines that surround Posada del Valle. Through walking, discussion, and meditation, you will experience the place of spirituality in the modern world as well as understanding a more holistic way of being in your life.
Visit: http://sense-experience.com/courses/epr2/
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