So, You Think That’s a Sustainability Course

?!?

WHO We Are

• Julian Dautremont-Smith

• Chad Frederick

• Elizabeth Lloyd-Pool

• Katherine Nelson

WHY We Are HereSTARS 1.2• Sustainability-focused courses

concentrate on the concept of sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as the lens.

• Sustainability-related courses incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module or concentrate on a single principle or issue

STARS 2.0• A sustainability course is a course in

which the primary and explicit focus is on sustainability and/or on understanding or solving one or more major sustainability challenge (e.g. the course contributes toward achieving principles outlined in the Earth Charter).

• A course that includes sustainability is primarily focused on a topic other than sustainability, but incorporates a unit or module on sustainability or a sustainability challenge, includes one or more sustainability-focused activities, or integrates sustainability issues throughout the course.

Should this count as sustainability focused?

MeteorologySwine ProductionPrinciples of AccountingAmerican Economic HistoryPetroleum GeologyFamily Resource ManagementFundamentals of MarketingContemporary ChinaBeginning Tai Chi Chi KungIntroduction to Public AdministrationIssues in Humanitarian Studies

Physics Theory IIntroduction to BusinessIntermediate Spanish 1Introduction to EngineeringPapermakingPost-Spinosist Theory and ModernismScience FictionWeb Mapping/Publishing Pavement DesignTravel Demand ForecastingPrinciples of Turfgrass Irrigation

WHAT We Are Talking About

1. Definitions & Methodologies• Presenters Information Audience Questions

2. Pitfalls & Pressures• Presenters Information Audience Questions

3. Balance & Benefits• Presenters Information Audience Questions

Definitions

Methodologies&

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee• Definition

Agreed upon by 5 faculty & Office of SustainabilityMelding of STARS, University of New Hampshire, UW-River Falls, UW-

Oshkosh, & Oberlin College• Methodologies

Survey to faculty AND students, for by-in more than capturing full scopeFull course analyses by

• OverviewConservativeTransparency- All course descriptions are listedAll 14 Schools & Colleges had at least a minimum contribution

Portland State University

• Sustainability is a campus-wide learning outcome• Sustainability is not a major or academic department• There is no Sustainability 101 course• Students are not going gain a complete understanding of

sustainability through one course

Interconnection: The most basic concept of sustainability that must be present in a single

course• Sustainability

Focused CourseEquity

EconomyEnvironment

Course Topic

Equity

EconomyEnvironment

Course Topic

Course Topic

Course Topic

Equity

EconomyEnvironment

Course Topic

Course Topic

Course Topic

• Sustainability Related Course

• Not a Sustainability Course

CriteriaNot a

Sustainability Course

Sustainability Related Sustainability Focused

EquityENG 301:

Shakespearean Tragedy

WS 306: Women, Environment, and

Activism(equity + environment)

SOC 465: Environmental

Sociology

EconomyEC 445:

Comparative Economic Systems

PHL 309: Business Ethics (economy + equity)

USP 317: Introduction to International

Community Development

Environment BI 357: General Ecology

ESM 222: Applied Environmental Studies: Policy Considerations

(environment + economy)

GEOG 363: Geography of Africa

Questions for You

•What are the pros and cons of how your institution identifies sustainability courses?

• Should there be a standardized methodology / required identification form?

Pitfalls

Pressures&

• Geography of Africa A survey course on the physical and human

geography of the continent of Africa, focusing on the variability of the physical landscape, including geomorphology, vegetation, and climate and on the patterns and implications of cultural diversity. Examines links between natural resources, economic development, and environmental management on location, national and regional scales.

Don’t Judge a Course By It’s Title

Points Pressure

Questions for You

•What lessons have you learned from course identification?

•What kinds of pressures have you experienced at your institution?

Balance

Benefits&

Balance

• Faculty are busy!• It is helpful to have staff

who can work on this • Make it simple and repeatable, i.e. different

people would categorize a course the same way• “Current best thinking” vs “perfect”

• Basis for moving the discussion forward• Reducing confusion about how your

institution incorporates sustainability in the curriculum• Answering the student question, “What

sustainability courses do you offer?”• Helping students get a more robust

sustainability education through informed choices

Benefits

Questions for You

•How do you balance trade offs in course identification?•What kinds of benefits have you experienced at your institution?• Any other remaining questions?!?

Thank You!