Sustainability Courses

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 ...

Petrology
Laura Webb, University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
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, ...

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 ...

Energy, Power and Transportation
Tom Termes, Black Hills State University
This course provides an understanding of the principles of energy, power, transportation, and applied technology. Topics, among others, include technological literacy, history, and industrial uses of energy, power, ...

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 ...

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 Buildings and Planning
Lori Troxel, Vanderbilt University
This is an interdisciplinary, 4-week, study-abroad course. Seminars and field trips in Northern Ireland and Barcelona provide students an international perspective of urban planning, sustainable building design, ...

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" ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

Life cycle assessment
James Stone, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
This course will provide an introduction to life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling for students within various science and engineering degree programs at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. LCA data and ...

Sustainability Science
Tun Myint, Carleton College
This course is conceived within the dual challenge of the need to understand how societal dynamics and environmental dynamics interact over time AND how they help induce or inhibit sustainability of social ...

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 ...

Solar Energy
Scott Cummings, Kenyon College
Solar Energy (CHEM 108) is a one-semester chemistry lecture and discussion course designed for students majoring outside of the natural sciences. With an emphasis on quantitative reasoning, the course explores the ...

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 ...

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. ...

Environmental Geology
Maureen Muldoon, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
This is a general geology course for non-majors. I introduce the course using a picture of the book "How Things Work in Your House (and what to do when they don't)". The course covers all the basic ...