Curricula

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Eco-American and Second Nature initiated the President’s Climate Commitment. 

Second Nature has worked with over 4000 faculty and administrators at over 500 colleges and universities to help make the principle of sustainability the foundation of all learning, practice and collaboration. They have an on-line clearinghouse with Education for Sustainability information.

Sustainability is " transdisplinary or intradisciplinary" by nature for it goes deeper than bringing  two or more fields of study together.   Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center and WSU currently engage in a task force to explore multiple avenues that will enrich sustainability education and action in the region. March 2009 Task Force Report.  

At WSU a large faculty group actively address sustainability issues in their curriculum.  Following is an ongoing list of courses, science and non-science,  that provide interdisciplinary learning experiences and discussion on  sustainability.  Also,WSU has an Environmental Science program that offers about 80 majors housed in the Biology, Chemistry or GeoScience department.   

Inventory of Sustainability Related Courses

Biology

BIO 104 Conservation, Society and the Environment - Biederman, Borsari, Mundahl, Nosek,                Peters, Richardson

BIO 315 Environmental Biology - Mundahl

Business Education

BUED 335 Information Resource Management  -Karjala

Students discuss the various methods of destroying records/information on paper and software—shredding, incineration, chemical destruction, and pulping, for example--and the environmental factors to address in decision making.

BUED 435 Information Systems/Personnel Management -Karjala

The course includes one entire chapter on the ecological impact of records maintenance and sections within other topic areas that relate to ecology, sustainability, and efforts toward a more “green” environment. ROI—return on investment is discussed. ROI includes the “triple bottom line” aspects that are used in Europe. Economics is always a factor in ROI—whether the concern is with people resources or environmental costs.

BUED 440/540 Training and Employee Development -Karjala

BUED 441/541 Training Techniques and Media. -Karjala

The undergraduate- and graduate-level Training and Development Minor and Certificate courses include discussions and readings about “green” strategies for training and development.

Chemistry

CHEM 106 Chemistry in Our World - Hailer

CHEM 320 Environmental Chemistry - Engen

CHEM 436 Topics in Environmental Chemistry - Franz 

Communication Studies

CMST 389 Persuasive Communication - Herold

Recycling plastic is nearly impossible and  80% of all plastic bottles end up in a landfill or in dead zone in the Pacific Ocean - not far from Hawaii.  Aluminum cans / bottles- with a 70% recycling rate are the better option. Class is working on a plan to change one WSU vendor's policy of selling  plastic bottles in vending machines.

Economics

ECON 315 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics - Hyle

Education - Secondary Social Studies Teaching

EDUC 333 Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School - Rierson

Class includes a lesson on the environment and the economy and unit on African geography and natural resources, discussing environmental degradation and the human cost of mining gold, diamonds, and other minerals.

Engineering

ENGR 410 Polymer Processing - Parsi

Unit on environmental issues regarding plastic materials. 2009-a project for students to better understand the fate of plastic waste that gets collected in our area.

English

ENG 111 College Reading and Writing - Oness     “Sustainability” featured .

ENG 120 Intro to Literature - Oness Engages      “Sustainability” featured.

Environmental Science

Environmental Science Program

An interdisciplinary program sponsored by the Biology, Chemistry and Geosciences departments. Students are encouraged to maintain a broad perspective and augment in-depth student with an understanding of the connections among public policy, economics, law and the adjustment to social needs, which can result in the destruction or the preservation of the environment. This broadly based program is composed of a common set of introductory courses; an in-depth set of option courses in science areas; an individual capstone experience, which involves a real-life environmental problem; and a group seminar course. Depending on the in-depth option courses that are chosen, students graduate with one of the following degrees: B.S. Biology-Environmental Science Option, B.S. Chemistry-Environmental Science Option or B.S. Geoscience -Environmental Science Option. 

Geoscience

GEOS Minnesota’s Rocks and Waters -Meyers Fall 09

Covers topics related to water resources and economic mineral resources 

GEOS 102 Resources of the Earth -Allard

Covers topics related to economic energy and mineral resources and their relation to science and social policies. 

GEOS 108 Geology of the Mississippi River - Dogwiler, C.Kairies Beatty, and Lee Beatty

Covers topics related to water resources, including their relation to agricultural practices in the Mississippi River Drainage Basin. 

GEOS 110 Oceanography - Meyers Fall 09

Deals with marine resources and how they are managed and impacted by humans. 

GEOS 120 Dynamic Earth - All GEOS faculty

Covers a broad range of topics that are relevant to sustainability issues, including: water resources, soils, economic minerals and energy resources, etc. 

GEOS 220 Minerals and Rocks - Allard

Covers topics related to the identification, formation, and extraction of economically valuable mineral commodities. 

GEOS 240 Watershed Science - Dogwiler

Whole course deals with the study and management of water resources and how watershed-scale factors, such as land use, affect water quality and quantity. Also considers the affect of agricultural practices on soil and water quality. 

GEOS 325 Environmental Geoscience - Kairies Beatty or Dogwiler

Whole course covers issues of sustainability, resource management policy, etc. from a geological perspective. 

GEOS 370 GIS - Dogwiler or adjunct

Covers topics related to the mapping and analysis of geological and water resources relevant to sustainability issues. 

GEOS 415 Advanced Geomorphology - Dogwiler or Kairies Beatty

Covers topics related to the management of surface water resources. 

GEOS 420 Applied Hydrogeology - Dogwiler or Kairies Beatty

Course deals with advanced topics of groundwater and surface water resource management and practices. 

GEOS 425 Global Climate Change - Dogwiler 

Course deals with the science of climate change, how the science interacts with policy, and the effects of climate change and policy on resource sustainability.

Global Studies

GS 200 Introduction to Global Studies -  Bowler, Grover

Consumption and life style are very much a part of the discussion.

GS300 Contemporary China -Zhang

China is seeking a new formula for expansion of the world's fastest-growing economy, which addresses the costs of growth such as environmental damage and widening income gap. Many Chinese want to switch to a more sustainable mode of development.

GS 400 Seminar in Global Studies - Grover

Marketing

MKTG 100 Marketing and Society - Collins

Module on global trade issues, including environmental impacts and another brief discussion of economic sustainability and “green” marketing.

Mass Communications

MCOM 210 Visual Communication – Critical analysis of how visual communication works - Bowey

MCOM 215 Photo Communication – Conceptualizing, producing and talking about photographs – Bowey

MCOM 319 Studio Photography – Large-format camera photography, emphasizing studio techniques – Bowey

The web site "Assignment Global" is used as a teaching tool for all classes. Visual communication is taught expansively, including the entire world as a focus. Global poverty and the dynamic of sustainability are crucial topics of discussion. Reporting and research are shared with students. 

Physics

Phys 202 General Physics: Principles of Physics - Roberts

Energy as it applies to the field of physics with real life applications.

Political Science

POLS 340   Environmental Policy - Downs

A seminar in environmental policy analysis.  Students examine and access a variety of global, national, local and inter-governmental environmental problems and governmental efforts in response to these problems.

Recreation, Tourism and Therapeutic Recreation

RTTR 203 Recreational Programming - Reidy

Sustainability of natural resources, facilities and budgets. We also plan and implement Earth Day for the community and surrounding area. 

RTTR 244 Sustaining Self and the Environment: Building a Principled Way of Life - Reidy

New course developed to respect self and nature. 

RTTR 265 Leisure and Different Cultures - Reidy

Studies bio-centric cultures and compares them to ego-centric cultures. 

RTTR 302 Adventure Travel and Tourism Development - Reidy 

Concept of class is to create an economy that will protect natural resources not exploit them. Projects include Green Technologies and Political Ecology. 

RTTR 339 Wilderness Ethics, Safety and Survival - Reidy

Students learn how to camp, backpack, canoe, hike etc without leaving a large foot print. Students learn all the steps in Leave No Trace. 

RTTR 414 Recreational Leadership - Reidy

Teaches leaders how to respect and protect areas where they will lead activities. 

RTTR 421 Outdoor Education and Interpretive Services - Reidy

Entire course has opportunities to discuss sustainability and stewardship. 

RTTR 426 Recreational Facilities and Area Design - Reidy

Students apply green technologies in their design of recreational facilities. 

RTTR 450 or GEOS 450 Costa Rica Travel Study – Riley and Dogwiler

On the travel study trip, the ideas of sustainability are not formally taught but are inevitable parts of discussion every day, in journaling and debriefing sessions. The entire travel study trip looks at impacts of tourism on the local environment of Dominical, Costa Rica. In our discussions, it becomes entirely clear that sustainability is not only environmental, but also social, economic, and cultural

Residential College

RESC “Whose Planet is This?”

RESC 150 “From the Bluffs to the River: Nature and Sustainability” Borsari and Ripley

The Center for Mississippi River Studies is again the course which includes a 4-day field experience on WSU’s River Explorer. The course also counts toward the contemporary citizenship category of university studies.

Social Work

Sociology

SOC 216 Social Problems - Paddock

Whole course focuses entirely on Social Problems of the Upper Mississippi River.  Because present agricultural practices have a very large negative impact on river health, we discuss sustainable agriculture at length and visit two organic farms. 

SOC 216 Social Problems - Chernega

Course has sections on coffee production and fair trade practices, on environmental issues and sustainability, on social sustainability relating to health care systems and inequality. 

SOC 421 Urban Sociology -Chernega

Course touches on economic sustainability issues and has one section in environmental issues of urban life.

Useful Links:

 Sustainability Across the Curriculum - The Piedmont Project at Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia.