Sustainability

Director: Leslie Gray

The sustainability minor helps students discover the connections and balance among a healthy environment, just societies, and a vibrant economy that meet all people’s fundamental needs currently and in the future, especially those of the global poor. Courses explore the environmental, societal, and economic aspects of sustainability, and how to take action to improve sustainability.

Requirements for the Minor

Students must complete a total of eight courses. One foundational course is required, and two courses (totalling at least 6 units) must be taken from each of the following three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, societal, and economic. In addition, students must complete one action learning course consisting of an approved project, community-based or immersion course. The following courses are approved for each area.  No more than three courses can come from a student’s major.  

Foundational course:

ENVS 95. Sustainability 101

Environmental Dimensions Courses

ANTH 160. The Global Coast: Adaptation, Risk and Resilience 

BIOL 5. Endangered Ecosystems L&L

BIOL 6. Oceans L&L

BIOL 134. California Plant Diversity L&L

BIOL 156/ENVS 156. General Ecology L&L

BIOL 180. Marine Ecology L&L

CENG 20. Geology

CENG 120. Design for Sustainable Construction

CENG 122: Air Pollution

CENG 123 L&L: Pollutant Fate and Transport

CENG 124/ENVS 124.Water Law and Policy (also listed as ENVS 124)

CENG 139. Groundwater Hydrology

CENG 140 L&L. Water Resources Engineering

CENG 142. Water Resources Design

CENG 143 L&L. Environmental Engineering

CENG 144 L&L. Water and Wastewater Treatment

CENG 160: GIS in Water Resources

CENG 161. Sustainable Water Resources

CENG 162. Computational Water Resources

CHEM 1. Chemistry and the Environment

CHEM 12. General Chemistry 2 L&L

CHEM 12H. General Chemistry 2 L&L Honors

CHEM 101. Bioinorganic Chemistry

ENGR 1 & ENGR 1L. Introduction to Engineering and Introduction to Engineering Lab

ENGR 15. Environmental Quality Engineering

ENGR 60. Sustainable Electric Energy

ENVS 5.  My Environment

ENVS 21. Introduction to Applied Ecology

ENVS 23. Introduction to Earth Systems L&L

ENVS 180. Energy and the Environment

ENVS 145. Environmental Technology

ENVS 160. Water Resources L&L

ENVS 166. Climate Change: Past, Present & Future

ENVS 167. Innovation for Climate Justice

ENVS 185. Garbology

MECH 121. Thermodynamics

MGMT. Foundational Knowledge of Managing for Sustainability

PHYS 120. Thermal Physics

Societal Dimensions Courses

ANTH 50. World Geography (also listed as ENVS 50)

ANTH 140. Food, Culture, and the Environment

ANTH 154. Environmental Anthropology

ANTH 159. Globalization and Culture Change

COMM 117. Multicultural Folktales and Storytelling

COMM 153. Dialogue and Deliberation

COMM 157. Environmental Communication

COMM 158. Community Organizing

ECON 129. Economic Development

ECON 160. The Economics of Poverty and Inequality

ENGL 176. Creative Writing & Social Justice

ENGR 19. Ethics in Technology

ENGR 110. Community Based Engineering Design

ENGR 161/MGMT 177. Cultures of Innovation

ENVS 22. Introduction to Environmental Studies

ENVS 128. Sustainable Urban Planning

ENVS 131: Environmental Education

ENVS 146. Agriculture, Environment, and Development: Latin America

ENVS 155. Environmental and Food Justice

ETHN 156. Environmental Racism, Gender, and Justice

PHIL 29. Ethics and the Environment

PHIL 29H. Ethical Issues & Environment

PHYS 192. Physics and Society

POLI 123. Global Environmental Politics

RSOC 64. Comparative Religion and Environmentalism

SCTR 111. Bible & Ecology

SOCI 33. Social Problems in the United States

SOCI 132. Inequality and the American Dream

SOCI 134. Globalization and Inequality

SOCI 138. Populations of India, China, and the United States

TESP 26. Sustainable Theologies

TESP 33. Theologies of Creation

TESP 84. Spirituality and Sustainability

TESP 152. Faith, Ethics, and Biodiversity

Economic Dimensions Courses

ACTG 140. Government and Nonprofit Accounting

BUSN 70. Contemporary Business Issues

BUSN 150. Feeding the World

BUSN 170. Contemporary Business for Nonmajors

CENG 128. Engineering Economics and Business

ECON 1. Principles of Microeconomics

ECON 101/MGMT 173. Resources, Food, and the Environment (also listed as MGMT 173)

ECON 111. Economics of the Environment

ENGR 171A. Product Opportunity Assessment and ENGR 173. Introduction to Business Fundamentals (1 unit each)

MGMT 6. Business Ethics

MGMT 6H. Business Ethics: Honors

MGMT 41. Foundational Skills of Managing for Sustainability

MGMT 80. Global and Cultural Environment of Business

MGMT 168.  Managing for Sustainability

MGMT 176: Sustainable Food Systems

MKTG 189. Sustainability Marketing

OMIS 108E. Sustainable Operations Management

PHIL 26. Ethics in Business

POLI 40. Politics of U.S. Economic Policies

Action Learning Courses

BUSN 132. Contemplative Leadership and Sustainability Program (CLASP)

BUSN 151A Food, Hunger, Poverty, Environment Immersion

COMM 113B- Special topics, Community Organizing

ELSJ 135. Research in Social Entrepreneurship

ENGR 25. Sustainability Energy Projects

ENGR 110. Community-Based Engineering Design

ENGR 125. Advanced Sustainable Energy Projects

ENGR 136. Frugal Innovation Projects for Social Benefit

ENVS 77. Deep Dive

ENVS 195. Sustainable SCU: Research to Action

MGMT 42. Leading From Triple Bottom Line

Other classes that may be approved for the Action Learning requirement include a relevant credit-bearing course for which a grade is earned (e.g., internship, study abroad, Washington Semester, research project, senior design project, etc.) or participation in the Global Social Benefit Incubator, Leavey School of Business Global Fellows Program, or sustainability-related study abroad programs.