Frequently Asked Questions: NWEI Discussion Courses
what is a discussion course, discussion course process
Q. Who leads the course?
The discussion courses are designed to be self-facilitated and anyone can organize a course. The first course session may be led by an experienced NWEI volunteer if we have one in your area; contact us to find out more. If there isn’t a volunteer available, the course organizer usually facilitates the first course session. Remaining meetings are facilitated by members of the group on a rotating basis. Watch our video or read our Course Organizer’s Guide for tips on how to be a great facilitator.
Q. What’s in the course book?
The course books are each about 100 pages, with a diverse collection of short essays, articles, and book excerpts, organized by session. Participants complete the readings in advance, and the course book provides the meeting format, goals, discussion questions and action items to guide each session. This course sampler from our World of Health course gives you a preview of what’s contained in each course book.
Q. How many people participate in a discussion course?
The discussion courses are designed for groups of 8 to 12 people.
Q. How often do the discussion courses meet?
It’s up to you and your group. We recommend meeting every week (or every other week, at a maximum) to provide enough time in between sessions for people to reflect and read the material, but not so much time that your group loses momentum. Plan for each session to last an hour or 90 minutes.
“Action on the environment comes from thinking about it--comes from real conversations about the real facts, our real lives, our real hopes. Northwest Earth Institute is one of the places that make those conversations happen, and that's why they're a vital part of the change we need to see.”
-- Bill McKibben - Author, Deep Economy and The End of Nature
*To order discussion guides, please order online here, call NWEI at 503 227 2807 or email contact@nwei.org with your order.
