Thread by @jpkinggg

Imagine a near future in which the fictional University of #Leonia announces a degree program in #DiscardStudies. In doing so, they help to establish this emerging field with a full #curriculum, dedicated faculty, and eager student population. 1/10 @DiscardStudies | #Discard2020

At U of L, teaching discard studies is about more than talking #trash. This new program’s core trains students to use #SystemsThinking to critique #power as the structural force that renders material, people, and land as #waste in a globalized #ColonialCapitalist society. 2/10

Treating objects and organisms as "#disposable" has consequences, but the root of this #WickedProblem runs deep below the surface. Traditional disciplines are insufficient for studying waste bc they focus on the details and fail to recognize the full picture (Brown, 2010). 3/10

The future of #DiscardStudiesEducation must go beyond the boundaries of the #AcademicDepartments from which it was born. It must teach students to see how waste shapes the world. It takes inspiration from sibling fields, like those studying gender, disability, and animals. 4/10

When asked about the needs of #FieldFormation, Eugene P. Odum (1977), a pioneer in the study of #Ecology, said, "[T]he way to deal with large-scale complexity is to search for overriding simplicity." So, what is our common denominator in studying a discard-driven culture? 5/10

The simple answer is “#structure” (bit.ly/2IuPKAh). Every #hierarchy is a web of relations designed by those who hold power. Students need to see how the #ColonialCapitalist #ValueSystem is shaped by a #resource-based #worldview and this determines what is wasted. 6/10

#ThinkingInSystems is the best way to help students understand and critique any structure. A program focused on #SystemsThinking considers wholes over parts and emphasizes "#relations" as the unifying and connective tissue within every structure (bit.ly/3kA0iLt). 7/10

Changes to a structure cannot occur if only #consequences are considered. Systems thinking examines origins and #responsibility at every level. It increases opportunities for #circular strategies to close loops within a linear economy founded upon the production of waste. 8/10

The systems-driven critique of power practiced in discard studies reveals fertile terrain for the future of #transdisciplinary education. Sadly, the University of Leonia's Discard Studies program remains #imaginary. However its absence points to a much needed development. 9/10

But what if there really was a Discard Studies program, a dedicated department and journal, and more conferences? What do you think the future of #DiscardStudiesEducation could look like? What would you #teach? What do you want to #learn? 10/10

Works Consulted:
Acaroglu. 2019. bit.ly/3kA0iLt
Brown. 2010. "Tackling Wicked Problems"
Liboiron. 2018. bit.ly/2IuPKAh
Meadows. 2008. "Thinking in Systems: A Primer"
Odum. 1977. "The Emergence of Ecology as a New Integrative Discipline"

A note about the images: Tweet 1/10 shows an Oxford University-like building in a landfill with a sign above that reads: "Imagining the Future of Discard Education". 2/10 shows a plot of land, an elderly woman, a water bottle, and a polluting factory.

Thanks so much for reading along! Please feel free to keep posting comments and questions. Be sure to stay tuned to the whole #Discard2020 conference to learn more about the wide range of DS research that makes this field so exciting!