Global Perspectives on Sustainability Minor
This interdisciplinary minor introduces students to the foundations of environmental sustainability and its complexities, with an emphasis on the approaches taken by people living under different geographic and economic conditions. Of special importance in this minor is increasing student understanding of the issues and problems faced by the majority of global citizens who live in less industrial or less economically developed parts of the world.
All students must complete 19 semester hours, distributed as listed below. A minimum 2.25 GPA is required for all courses in this minor. Courses must be taken for a grade (not credit/no-credit). Students planning to take this minor should consult with the minor advisor.
- Background Courses (2 courses)
- Natural Science
- Political/Social Science
- Sustainability Foundation (1 course)
- Advanced Courses on Environmental and Sustainability Issues (2 courses)
- Advanced Area Focus (1 course)
- Field Courses or Internship (4 hours minimum)
Background Courses
Natural Science
Take 1 of these courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 121 | Environmental Biology | 3 |
| BIO 131 | Plants, Humanity, and Environment | 3 |
| GEO 271 | Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Conservation | 3 |
| GLG 121 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
| PHY 121 | Energy and Environment | 3 |
Social Science
Take 1 of these courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ATH 175 | Peoples of the World | 3 |
| GEO 101 | Global Forces, Local Diversity | 3 |
| ITS 201 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| POL 270 | Current World Problems | 1 (6 max) |
| POL 271 | World Politics | 3 |
Sustainability Foundation
Take this course:
IES 274 - Introduction to Environment and Sustainability (3)
Advanced Courses on Environmental and Sustainability Issues
Take at least 2 of these courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARC 413/513 | Environmental Systems I | 3 |
| AMS/HST/WST 397 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| ATH 448 | Developing Solutions in Global Health | 3 |
| ATH 471/571 | Ecological Anthropology | 3 |
| BIO 333 | Field Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 401/501 | Plant Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 451/551 | Conservation Education and Community Engagement | 3 |
| BIO 467/567 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| CPB/IES 244 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CPB 405/505 | Industrial Environmental Control | 3 |
| CPB 441/541 | Pollution Prevention in Environmental Management | 3 |
| ECO 406/506 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| GEO 333 | Global Perspectives on Natural Disasters | 3 |
| GEO 401/501 | Sustainable Regions | 3 |
| GEO/WGS 436 | Women, Gender, and the Environment | 3 |
| GEO 437/537 | Regional Land Use Capability Analysis | 3 |
| GEO 473/573 | Development and Underdevelopment | 3 |
| GLG 307 | Water and Society | 3 |
| GLG 311 | Geoenvironmental Field Methods | 3 |
| IES 411/511 | Environmental Protocols | 4 |
| IES 413/513 | Environmental Policy Making and Administration | 3 |
| IES/ENG/JRN 429 | Environmental Communication | 3 |
| IES 450/550 | Environmental Law | 3 |
| IES 474 | Sustainability in Practice | 3 |
| IES/BUS 494 | Sustainability Perspectives in Resources and Business | 3 |
| ITS 302 | Problems of Non-Western Societies | 3 |
| PHL 376 | Environmental Philosophy | 4 |
| SJS 487 | Globalization, Social Justice and Human Rights | 3 |
| WGS 302 | Geography and Gender | 3 |
Advanced Area Focus
Take at least 1 of these courses that complements the field of study:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ATH 304 | Native North America: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
| ATH 305 | Latin America: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
| ATH 306 | Russia and Eurasia: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
| ATH/BWS 307 | The Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
| ATH 308 | South Asia: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
| ATH/GEO/IES 409 | Sustainability: European Challenges and Strategies | 3 |
| BWS/GEO 301 | Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa | 4 |
| BWS 339/POL 338 | Contemporary African Politics | 3 |
| BWS 362 | Family Poverty | 3 |
| BWS/HST 341 | East African History | 3 |
| BWS/HST 342 | Africa Since 1945 | 3 |
| BWS/HST 352 | Medicine and Society in 20th Century Africa | 3 |
| BWS/HST 495 | Modern African Environmental History | 3 |
| GEO 304 | Latin American Development | 3 |
| GEO 307 | Geography of Central and Eastern Europe, and Russia | 3 |
| GEO 308 | Geography of East Asia | 3 |
| GEO 405/505 | The Caribbean in Global Context | 3 |
| GEO/WGS 406 | Indigenous Peoples and Their Sacred Lands | 3 |
| GEO 408/508 | Geography of the Silk Road (The Heart of Asia) | 3 |
| GEO 475/575 | Global Periphery's Urbanization | 3 |
| HST 325 | Images of Africa | 3 |
| HST 353 | History of Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HST 354 | Modern Chinese History | 3 |
| ITS 302 | Problems of Non-Western Societies | 3 |
| LAS 385 | Race, Science, and Disease in the Americas | 3 |
| LAS 410 | Current Latin American Issues | 1-3 |
| LAS/HST 437 | Latin America Environmental History | 3 |
| POL 334 | Politics of Eastern Europe | 3 |
| POL 335 | Politics of East Asia | 3 |
| POL 336 | Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| POL 337 | Politics of Latin America | 3 |
| POL/WGS 346 | Global Gender Politics | 3 |
| POL 375 | International Relations of East Asia | 3 |
| POL 378 | Latin America: The Region and the World | 3 |
| POL 438 | Africa in the Global Economy | 3 |
| POL 488/588 | Russia and the Republics in International Relations | 3 |
Field Courses or Internship
Take a minimum of 4 hours from the following. Students may also take other field courses or internship; see advisor.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GEO/BIO 496 | Biodiversity of Kenya | 6 |
| IES/GEO/GLG/LAS 412 | Tropical Ecosystems of Costa Rica | 5 |
| IES 423/GEO 413/GEO 513/GLG/LAS 413 | Tropical Marine Ecology | 5 |
| IES/GLG 415/LAS 417/517 | Coral Reef Ecology | 5 |
| IES/GEO/LAS 416 | Connections: Understanding Tropical Ecology and Natural History via Belize, Central America | 5 |