Sustainability Courses

Science and Other Stories: Reading the Mississippi River
Julie Maxson, Metropolitan State University
This course is an exploration of the nature of science and sustainability, focusing on the local system of the Upper Mississippi River.

Environmental Assessment
Maureen Padden, McMaster University
Students in this fourth-year course explore the policy and requirements of environmental assessment in both a Canadian and international context. Students gain familiarity with the environmental assessment process ...

Global Political Ecology
Pablo Toral, Beloit College
Global Political Ecology is an interdisciplinary, lab-based course that requires the students to study how societies organize themselves to address environmental challenges. The students will learn and apply ...

Agroecology
Bruno Borsari, Winona State University
An introduction to the theory of agroecology and the current practices of sustainable agriculture. The components of farm management will be studied within the context of a complex ecosystem. Class time will be ...

Environmental Science, with Lab
Dan Vaughn, Vincennes University
This course focuses on the basic parameters of, and human interaction with, the natural environment. Labs involve environmental testing, field observations, review of case studies, and various "hands on" ...

Hydrotopia: Toward a Hydraulic Society in the American West
Ed Barbanell, University of Utah
Interdisciplinary case study analysis of historical and emerging water issues in the western United States. Students learn the fundamental concepts and major issues related to water resources planning and ...

Visioning a Sustainable World
Bill Stigliani, University of Northern Iowa
Students will learn why the present industrial system is unsustainable, and envision key attributes of a sustainable society. The class creates a sustainable vision based on study and conversation about renewable ...

Petrology
Laura Webb, University of Vermont
The course is an introduction to the scope and methods of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic petrology. Through lecture, class discussions, and laboratory exercises, students learn about the classification, ...

Humans and Nature: Living in the Anthropocene
Brooke Crowley, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
This is a lecture-based interdisciplinary introductory course. We focused on current social and environmental issues that emphasize the links between raw materials, waste, and products used in day-to-day life. I ...

Plant Biology
Susan Singer, Carleton College
This is an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to the basic concepts of plant biology in the context of sustainable food and agriculture systems. The course is taught in an interactive format with ...

Sustainable Land Systems
John Motloch, Ball State University
This interdisciplinary course explores regions and sites as parts of complex adaptive systems; and the integration of economic and community development within these systems in ways that promote sustained ...

Interdisciplinary Sustainability Practicum
Steven Burian, University of Utah
This is an interdisciplinary project-based course where students are divided into multi-disciplinary teams and select projects to complete working for real clients.

Introduction to Sustainability Science
Tracey Holloway, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This course aims to develop a solutions-oriented understanding of environmental and energy issues. Through interactive lectures, field trips, and problem-based homework sets, the class introduces basic quantitative ...

Human Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycles
Mari Lee, Colorado College
Human Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycles is an introductory environmental science course examining the pressures of modern civilization on natural Earth cycles. The course uses inquiry based learning to cover basic ...

Environmental Science
Dan Vaughn, Vincennes University
This course examines issues and events of current importance such as pollution, natural disasters, state and federal land use (including state and national parks), Resource extraction and its effects, and ...

Its Not Easy Being Green
Laura Rademacher, University of the Pacific
This course will address the real-life challenges of environmental sustainability through examination of the scientific, socio-economic, and political factors that govern sustainability in complex systems. ...

Soils and Sustainable Agriculture
Jeff Walker, Vassar College
This intermediate-level lecture/lab earth science course explores the relationships between the geological parent and the character of the resulting soils. The lecture portions discuss the theoretical background ...

Wilderness Philosophy
Thomas Beery, University of Minnesota-Duluth
This is an interdisciplinary field/lecture/discussion based course with a focus wilderness in an American context. The goal of the course is to deepen student understanding of the constructs wilderness and ...

Natural Hazards and Risk Communication
Kathleen Phillips, Stanford University
This course will provide an introduction to the science behind natural hazards, the risks associated with these hazards, and effective methods of communicating those risks to a variety of audiences. Recent research ...

Introduction to Environmental Science
Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University
This is an introductory course centered around the concept of sustainability. One section is for first semester students majoring in Marine and Environmental Science, and other sections are offered for non-majors. ...