Sustainability in Academics

Sustainability symposium

Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum

Research, teaching and learning are some of the most important ways in which transformative change in higher education will have lasting and far-reaching impact on building just, sustainable communities.  Our approach includes education inside and outside the classroom, enhancing creative systems-level thinking about sustainability, climate action, environmental justice. 

LIST OF SUSTAINABILITY COURSES

You can search for undergraduate sustainability courses in the archived inventory of courses here.

A sampling of sustainability courses include:

  • "California Flora and Communities"
  • "Environment and Society"
  • "Nature Writing"
  • "Urban Environmental Issues"
  • "Natural Resource Economics"
  • "Environmental Politics"
  • "Environmental Law and Regulation"
  • "U.S. Environmental History"
  • "Latin American Environmental History" 
  • "Scientific & Religious Perspectives on the Environment"

Sustainability Related Degree and Course Offerings

BA in Economics with a concentration in Sustainability Studies

The Economics Department offers a multidisciplinary concentration in Sustainability Studies. It combines a economic courses and a background in science with courses on social justice. This combination will help students meet their career goals as well as the broader needs of society.

BA/BS in Environmental Science & Studies (ES&S)

It's important to understand the consequences of the continuing changes we make to our environment. The Environmental Science and Studies program will give you a unique, layered perspective on the ecosystems, the interaction between physical and living systems, and the effects of human society on the world around us.

Justice, Community & leadership

Numerous Justice, Community and Leadership (JCL) courses (130, 150) utilize Campus Sustainability as a partner in their academic work. Past co-curricular work has included the creation of the Free Store, a visioning workshop on sustainability and the mapping of physical assets on our campus.

ACADEMIC SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM

The President's Sustainability Committee regularly hosts Sustainability Symposia with the goal of bringing faculty, staff and students together to share their research and teaching materials related to sustainability.  The Symposium has offered a space to host guest lectures, review seminal literature, and discuss the importance of incorporating sustainability into course curriculum across divisions and departments. 

SUSTAINABILITY ENGAGED facultY

You can search for tenured track faculty within our four schools (SEBA, SOS, KSOE, SOLA) who conduct sustainability-related research here. 

Please contact us with any updates to the course or research inventories at smcsustainability@stmarys-ca.edu

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