Sustainability Focused Courses

Units of instruction that has a primary and explicit focus on the integrated concept of sustainability and/or the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems. This focus must be demonstrated in the title or high level description of the course. Sustainability-focused courses may include:

● Foundational courses with a primary and explicit focus on sustainability (e.g., Introduction to Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Sustainability Science).

● Courses with a primary and explicit focus on the application of sustainability within a field (e.g., Architecture for Sustainability, Green Chemistry, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Business). As sustainability is an interdisciplinary topic, such courses generally incorporate

insights from multiple disciplines.

● Courses with a primary and explicit focus on a major sustainability challenge that requires students to consider the interdependence of ecological and social/cultural/economic systems (e.g., Climate Change Science, Environmental Justice, Global Poverty and Development, Renewable Energy Policy). The focus of such courses might be on providing knowledge and understanding of the problems and/or the tools for solving them, but they should bring a systems thinking approach to the challenge.

Department/unit Code Dept Course Title Level Hours Sustainability-Inclusive (I) or Focused (F) UN SDG Area(s) catalog description
Academic Affairs HON 102 HON 102 NATURAL SCI SEM/SUSTAINABILITY U 3 F 6,7,12,13,14,15 Natural science core. Part of an integrated sequence of core courses. Focuses on the role of science in contemporary society.
Adult Ed and HEA ADE 655 ADE 655 DIVERSITY ISSUES IN ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING G 3 F 4, 5, 10 Prerequisite: Graduate status. Teaching and learning implications of diversity for adult educational achievement and career opportunities. Implications for course content and classroom management styles when adult educators are sensitive to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, and physical ability. Methods for structuring course content, designing curricula, and educating learners by promoting and embracing a diverse population of colleagues, learners, workers, and clients.
Anthropology ANT 101 ANT 101 UNDERSTANDING CULTURE U 3 F 2,3,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,16 On human culture and society; structures of meaning, belief, kinship, family, marriage, sexuality, spirituality, and artistic life across time and in different environmental, economic, and political settings. Offered every semester.
Anthropology ANT 300 ANT 300 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA U 3 F 1,2,3,5,6,8,11,13,15,16 Prerequisite: ANT 100 or 101. Ways of life of the original peoples of Western North America, reconstructed using archaeology, historic documents, and oral tradition (i.e. Ethnohistory). Tribal nations of the Plains, Northwest Coast, Southwest, Great Basin, Plateau, and California. Effects of outside exploration/colonization and the persistence of Indigenous peoples in the modern world. Every other fall, even years.
Anthropology ANT 301 ANT 301 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA U 3 F 1,2,3,5,6,8,11,13,15,16 Prerequisite: ANT 100 or 101. Ways of life of the original peoples of Eastern North America, reconstructed using archaeology, historic documents, and oral tradition (i.e., Ethnohistory). Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Powhatan confederacies; Cherokee; Effects of European exploration and colonization; persistence of Indigenous Eastern North American peoples in the modern world. Every other fall, odd years.
Anthropology ANT 330 ANT 330 INDIGENOUS HAWAIIANS U 3 F 1,2,3,5,6,8,11,13,14,15,16 Prerequisite: ANT 100 or 101. Lifeways of the original inhabitants of the Islands of Oceania, especially the Hawaiian archipelago. Origins, geography/ecology, cultural identity/agency, political struggles of Indigenous Hawaiian peoples using archaeological/anthropological, historical documents, and oral tradition evidence (Ethnohistory). Representations of Indigenous Hawaiians originating inside and outside the region. Every other spring, odd years.
Anthropology ANT 341 ANT 341 INDIGENOUS ART OF NORTH AMERICA U 3 F 1,3,5,6,8, 13, 15,16 Prerequisite: ANT 100. Examination of art and material culture within Indigenous communities. How material culture can be used as evidence for human behavior, especially ritual behavior. Historical factors affecting the production and use of material culture. Continuity/change within material culture/artistic repertoires. Every other spring, even years.
Biology BIO 104 BIO 104 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY U 3 F 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 Non-majors only. Biological aspects of global environmental problems. Principles of ecology. Offered every semester.
Biology BIO 213 BIO 213 INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND BEHAVIOR U 4 F 6, 7, 14, 15 Prerequisite: BIO 111, C or better. Population, community and ecosystem ecology; human impact on the environment. The Darwinian revolution, evolution of populations and the formation of new species. Principles of animal behavior. Offered every semester.
Biology BIO 315 BIO 315 ECOLOGY U 4 F 6, 7, 14, 15 Prerequisites: Prerequisites: BIO 111 (with a grade of C or Better), BIO 211 and BIO 213. Ecosystems, biotic communities, interspecific and intraspecific relationships, biogeochemical cycles, energy flow, population ecology, introduction to analysis of community composition, effects of humanity in modifying natural environments. Several half-day or all-day field trips may be required. Offered fall only.
Biology BIO 333 BIO 333 BIOLOGICAL FORM, FUNCTION AND DIVERSITY U 4 F 14, 15 Prerequisites: Prerequisites: BIO 111 (with a grade of C or Better), BIO 211 and BIO 213. The origin and history of life on Earth and its diversification with an emphasis on Eukarya. Survey of the morphology, physiology, development, reproduction, and life cycles of protists, plants, fungi, and animals. Offered every spring semester.
Biology BIO 375 BIO 375 GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY U 3 F 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 Prerequisites: BIO 211 or BIO 213. Introduction to the concepts and applications of global change ecology, including species invasion, habitat fragmentation and climate change. Ecological and sustainable applications in academic, government and private settings toward evaluating and addressing the impacts of global change. A basic understanding of biology and ecology is helpful but not necessary. Offered occasionally.
Biology BIO 389 BIO 389 GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY U 3 F 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 Topics Course
Biology BIO 405 BIO 405 EVOLUTION U 3 F 13, 14, 15 Prerequisites: BIO 111 (with a grade of C or Better), BIO 211 and BIO 213; Upper-division status. The pattern of evolution including fossil, biogeographic, and genomic evidence. Phylogenies; processes contributing to changing allele frequencies in populations through time including selection, drift, mutation, migration, and nonrandom mating; models of speciation. Mendelian framework for quantitative genetics. Sexual selection, inclusive fitness, altruism and the evolution of eusociality. Mass extinction and recent discoveries related to human origins. Offered at least once a year.
Biology BIO 418 BIO 418 LIMNOLOGY U 4 F 3, 6, 14 Prerequisites: BIO 111 (with a grade of C or better), BIO 211, BIO 213 and CHE 111/113; Upper-division status. Physical, chemical, and biological factors that influence freshwater life and the ecological interactions in freshwater communities. Lectures, demonstrations, and field trips. Offered alternate years.
Biology BIO 429 BIO 429 FISHERIES BIOLOGY U 4 F 2, 12, 14 Prerequisites: BIO 111 (with a grade of C or Better), BIO 211 and BIO 213; Upper-division status. Ecology and management of fish populations. Sampling techniques and fisheries-management techniques (including stocking, hatcheries, and aquaculture programs). Feeding, behavior, and life history of fishes. Offered alternate years.
Biology BIO 612 BIO 612 ORIGIN OF SPECIES G 3 F 14, 15 Topics in Ecology. Lecture and discussion on a specific topic in ecology, such as population ecology, microbial ecology, plant ecology, ecology of the Great Lakes, or advanced limnology.
Biology BIO 612 BIO 612 GREAT LAKES FISH ECOLOGY G 3 F 6, 7,14,15 Topics in Ecology. Lecture and discussion on a specific topic in ecology, such as population ecology, microbial ecology, plant ecology, ecology of the Great Lakes, or advanced limnology.
Biology BIO 619 BIO 619 PLANT ECOLOGY G 3 F 2, 15 Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in ecology. The relationship between plants and their environment from the scale of individuals to ecosystems. Plant physiological ecology, plant community composition and structure, competition and facilitation, effects of human activities, disturbance, succession and plant-animal interactions. Offered every other year.
Biology BIO 621 BIO 621 TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY G 3 F 15 Prerequisite: Undergraduate course in ecology. Exploration of the ecosystem concept in ecology. Interactions among organisms and their environment as an integrated system. Factors regulating pools and fluxes of materials and energy through terrestrial ecological systems. Structure and functional relationships, spatial and temporal patterns in ecosystem processes, and the legacy of response to past events. Offered occasionally.
Economics and Finance ECO 101 ECO 101 THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM U 3 F 8, 9 Overview course. Development of fundamental economic concepts, basic economic institutions and their history, and contemporary economic issues. Supply and demand, markets, gross domestic product (GDP), inflation and recession, and the role of government. Economic issues such as energy, environment, education, and health care included when appropriate. Will not count toward the credit hour requirement of majors. Offered every semester.
Economics and Finance ECO 404 ECO 404 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT U 3 F 1, 8, 10 Prerequisite: Minimum of two economics courses. The difficulties of economic development, industrialization, and worldwide poverty. Competing theories of economic growth and structural change. Problems of population, natural resources, and environment. The growing interdependency of the U.S. and lesser-developed countries' (LDCs) economies. The crucial role of women in development, as well as ethnic and other social and cultural relationships. LDCs debt crisis and international finance. Macro- and microeconomic planning models. The policy-making process, development strategies, and specific case studies of LDCs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Offered occasionally.
Engineering Technology ENT 481 ENT 481 RENEWABLE DISTRIBUTED GENERATION AND STORAGE U 3 F 7, 9 Prerequisites: ENT 331 Electric Circuits or equivalent or ENT 332 or instructor’s permission. This course introduces renewable and efficient electric power systems. It encourages self-teaching by providing numerous practical examples requiring quantitative analysis. Topics include historical, regulatory, and utility industry perspectives of the electric system as well as most of the electricity, thermodynamics, and engineering economics background needed to understand new power technologies. Offered every spring semester.
English ENG 254 ENG 254 CULTURALLY DIVERSE AMERICAN LITERATURE IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS U 3 F 5,10 Prerequisite: CWP 102. Focus on diverse American literature taught in secondary English classrooms. Readings drawn from traditional and non-traditional literary texts and popular media representing a wide range of American voices and experiences. This course addresses the role of culturally diverse literature plays in American schools and its incorporation across content areas. Offered every semester.
Geoscience ENS 300 ENS 300 ENVIRONMENTAL CASE STUDIES U 3 F 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 Prerequisites: Completion of IF natural science requirement and upper division standing. Examines environmental literature and case studies on historically important and current environmental issues. Distinctions between facts, opinions and value judgments to evaluate and judge real situations. Global in scope; social contexts and national and global environmental policies. Offered alternate years.
Geoscience GEG 309 GEG 309 URBAN GEOGRAPHY U 3 F 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Prerequisite: One social science course. Internal spatial structure of American metropolitan areas and their relationships. Spatial arrangements of land uses; ethnics, racial and economic composition of the population; dynamics of population growth and change; influence of minorities on cities and suburbs; geographic consequences of poverty and segregation on growth and change; transportation and fiscal problems confronting local governments. Offered every semester.
Geoscience GEG 386 GEG 386 WEATHER AND SOCIETY U 3 F 2, 3, 8, 11, 13 Prerequisites: Upper-division status. Use of climatic information in various aspects of our lives to solve practical problems with environmental, social, and economic implications. The importance of climate on agriculture, human health, severe weather management, litigation, commerce, architecture, and city planning. Offered fall only.
Geoscience GEG 478 GEG 478 GLOBAL CHANGE U 3 F 2, 12, 13, 14, 15 Prerequisite: GEG 101 or instructor permission. Interdisciplinary study of the principles needed to understand human impacts on the natural environment. Climate variability and global warming; nutrient cycling; land-use issues; connections and feedbacks among climate, ecosystems, and biogeochemistry; impacts of global change on society; policy measures; potential solutions. Offered occasionally.
Geoscience GES 111 GES 111 OCEANOGRAPHY U 3 F 13, 14 Study of the oceans including the application of geology, biology, chemistry, physics and engineering and how they interact in different parts of the ocean environment. Strong interdisciplinary focus of ocean processes and how they are connected to our lives. Topics include how technology has advanced our understanding of the oceans, sampling seawater and sediments and mapping the seafloor, opening and closing of ocean basins, formation and erosion of beaches, life in the oceans, ocean resources, marine pollution, and the role of the oceans in global climate change. Offered fall only.
Geoscience GES 123 GES 123 ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCE U 3 F 6, 8, 12, 14, 15 An investigation of the impact of society on the natural environment. Examines natural resources; global climate change; and soil, water, and land use issues. The complex interrelationship of global systems and societies' attempts to control or alter them. The unique perspective of geoscientists to environmental issues. Offered every semester.
Geoscience GES 428 GES 428 GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS U 3 F 3, 6, 11, 14, 15 Prerequisites: GES 306, GES 307, GES 408 or instructor permission. Causes, risk assessment, and mitigation of geologic hazards in marine and terrestrial environments, including volcanos, earthquakes, tsunamis, shoreline erosion, flooding, subsidence, avalanches, landslides, mud and debris flows. Emphasis on identifying and modeling underlying natural and human-induced disturbances that result in hazards and delineating risk potential. Use of case studies to map and model hazards with consideration of mitigation options. Offered every fall semester.
Philosophy PHI 102 PHI 102 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS U 3 F 1,3,5,10,16 Various views of how we ought to live and how society should be organized, considered in the context of discussions about the "good" life and the "good" society. Offered every semester.
Philosophy PHI 110 PHI 110 THE MEANING OF LIFE U 3 F 3,5,16 Exploration of a number of fundamental philosophical questions that make their way into everyday life, specifically related to the question, "What is the meaning of (my) life?" or its Socratic equivalent, "How ought I to live?" Critical analysis of classical and contemporary works-philosophical and autobiographical-to develop clearer, more informed, and better-reasoned views about the questions, if not the answers. Offered alternate years.
Philosophy PHI 113 PHI 113 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS U 3 F 3,12,14,15 Introduction to environmental ethics. Ethical theories and ethical implications of human interactions with the environment. Issues such as sustainability, environmental justice, preservation, the value of species. Offered occasionally.
Philosophy PHI 301 PHI 301 JUSTICE: LIBERTY VS. EQUALITY U 3 F 8, 10,16 Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Examination of moral presuppositions and justifications of forms of government and economic systems, as well as interrelations between government and economics. Offered occasionally.
Physics PHY 522 PHY 522 ENERGY: SUSTAINABILITY AND RENEWABILITY FOR TEACHERS G 3 F 4, 7, 9, 11, 13 Prerequisites: PHY 107 and PHY 108. Different energy sources, their global supply, and physical laws governing their present use in the world. Topical energy sources and physical laws for the hydrogen fuel cell, solar cell and wind turbine; using them in applications and devices.
Pol Sci, Public Admin & Planning PAD 507 PAD 507 NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT G 3 F 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 16, 17 Prerequisites: Instructor Permission. Explores the many forms, methods, and tools of neighborhood planning, community development, and engagement efforts aimed at revitalization in the context of historic and contemporary public and private sector policies and practices that have contributed to current challenges. Offered occasionally
Pol Sci, Public Admin & Planning PLN 215 PLN 215 INTRODUCTION TO URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING U 3 F 1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 Introduction to the practice, history and theory, critical issues, and tools and methods of plan making of urban and regional planning. Topics covered include sustainability, land use, housing, community and neighborhood planning, and transportation. Offered fall only.
Pol Sci, Public Admin & Planning PLN 350 PLN 350 PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUITIES U 3 F 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 12, 17 Prerequisites: Junior or Senior Standing or Instructor Permission. Theoretical and methodological examination of the role planning plays in creating sustainable communities. Focus on land use and urban design, housing, green buildings, transportation, food systems, and water resources. Relevant plans and policies at varying geographic scales. Measures of sustainability. Offered occasionally.
Pol Sci, Public Admin & Planning PLN 380 PLN 380 NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT U 3 F 1, 3, 8, 10, 11, 16, 17 Prerequisites: PLN 215. Explores the many forms, methods, and tools of neighborhood planning, community development, and engagement efforts aimed at revitalization in the context of historic and contemporary public and private sector policies and practices that have contributed to current challenges. Offered occasionally.
Psychology CAS 302 CAS 302 GLOBAL CHILD ADVOCACY ISSUES U 3 F 3, 10, 16 Prerequisites: CAS 301 or PSY 301. Issues related to the lives of children in countries around the globe and immigrant and refugee children locally. Multidisciplinary approaches to advocacy with these populations. Designed for students majoring in criminal justice, education, psychology, social work, sociology, or other areas where knowledge of child maltreatment and advocacy might be beneficial. Required for Child Advocacy Studies certificate program. Offered every Spring.
Social & Psychological Fndn SPF 366 SPF 366 CULTURAL PROFICIENCY AND PUBLIC ACHIEVEMENT U 4 F 10, 11 Public achievement serves as a framework for analyzing diverse student perspectives, opinions, and assets to identify and meet the needs of different cultural groups and to learn to work effectively in cross-cultural settings. Students will be provided with practical experiences in implementing a project with children in a local school district.
Social Work SWK 230 SWK 230 INTERSECTIONALITY U 3 F 3, 5,10,16 Exploration of culture, diversity, inclusion, personal biases, power, privilege, intersectionality, and the role of social work in addressing anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and anti-oppression. Offered every semester.
Social Work SWK 301 SWK 301 POVERTY AND PUBLIC POLICY U 3 F 1, 5, 10, 16 Prerequisite: Sophomore, Junior standing. Focus on social welfare policies and programs. Overview of historical treatment of poverty and the poor, theories of poverty causation and the demographics of those impacted by poverty including race, age, gender, immigration status, socioeconomic status. Social change strategies and advocacy. Requires 20 hours of volunteer work in addition to coursework. Offered every semester.
Social Work SWK 302 SWK 302 SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY U 3 F 5,10,16 Prerequisite: Sophmore status. An overview of human rights, social injustices, and social justice advocacy. Activist efforts, including social movements and voting. Students will reflect on their own involvement as social justice advocates. The foundation framework of Just Practice will be used to understand social justice with social work. Offered every semester.
Social Work SWK 419 SWK 419 SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY U 3 F 1, 10, 11, 16 Prerequisites: SWK Majors Only, SWK 317, SWK 320, SWK 423, SWK 424. Macro level advocacy with communities and legislative bodies; policy analysis; social justice models. Offered every fall.
Social Work SWK 429 SWK 429 POLICY PRACTICE U 3 F 10, 11, 16 Prerequisites: SWK 419, SWK 493, SWK 496. Focus on international human rights, and social, economic, and environmental justice. Policy analysis and program development. Global social work. Offered every spring.
Sociology SOC 353 SOC 353 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY U 3 F 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 6 credit hours of sociology. Analyzes the relationship of society and the natural environment (global, national, and local levels) using empirical and theoretical methods. Specific topics include the "toxics crisis," Central America, work, and environmental racism. Interprets societal structures and processes that lead to ecological crises and responses to them. Offered occasionally.