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Minor in Sustainability
Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Minor in Sustainability StudiesWhat is Sustainability? | Requirements | Coursework | Electives An undergraduate minor in sustainability studies is open to UNC-CH students starting in fall 2008. Sustainability is a unifying approach to human and environmental problems with a future orientation. Disciplines from across the natural and physical sciences, the professions (e.g., public health, business), social sciences (e.g., planning, policy, sociology), and countless others have found common ground in the understanding that human society occupies a physical environment that sets limits on society's material and energy use. Increasingly, scholars are seeking to study problems and develop solutions to balance growth, development and environmental protection within the framework of sustainability. In 1987, the World ("Brundtland") Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." A 2003 Institute for the Environment (IE) white paper interpreted this as "managing our economic, social, and natural resources to provide the opportunity for every citizen - now and in the future - to live in a clean, healthy, and appealing environment, to pursue meaningful and rewarding work, and to participate fully in a just and equitable society." Carolina, with its strong tripartite mission and demonstrated tradition of scholarship, teaching and public service, has emerged as a leader in the national sustainability movement. The undergraduate minor described here strengthens that effort. Sustainability Studies in the U.S. A recent review by the ULSF (University Leaders for a Sustainable Future) cites approximately 70 institutions, ranging from small private colleges to large state universities, with such programs. These include undergraduate and graduate minors and majors, although only a handful of these programs are undergraduate minors. Sustainability curricula still are relatively rare in U.S. colleges and universities, but courses and practicums built around the core ideas and methods of sustainability are growing, and can be expected to produce more formal degree programs in the future. The Talloires Declaration (ULSF), a 10-point action plan for academic advancement of sustainability, has attracted over 300 signatories, including more than 100 U.S. colleges and universities - Carolina among them. Sustainability studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The new curriculum has been largely student-driven. The election platform of 2004-2005 student body president Matthew Calabria included a plank on sustainability in Carolina operations and academics. His executive committee pursued this by contacting staff, faculty and administrators to push for curricula. Later student government administrations have retained sustainability education as a priority. The minor meshes well with new Carolina curriculum requirements, which stress interdisciplinary study organized around key societal issues that span the geographic scale from local and state to national and global. Several dozen existing courses at Carolina use a sustainability framework or perspective. Two new core courses (ENST 330: Principles of Sustainability, and ENST 331: Systems Analysis for Sustainability) will be offered in 2008 and 2009. Recent sustainability seminars (ENST 204) focused on sustainable practices; their themes were Sustainable UNC, Sustainable Communities, and Sustainability Primer. These seminars brought in lecturers from UNC-Chapel Hill, local government, and the private sector to discuss such topics as planning and design, energy, historic preservation, architecture, urban form, transportation, water quality and stormwater management, solid waste, construction and demolition practices, local and green purchasing, agriculture, small business management, green investment, and affordable housing. Similar participation by campus and community experts is planned for new sustainability courses. Requirements for the Minor in Sustainability Studies The requirements for earning the minor are comparable to other minors in the College of Arts & Sciences:
The required coursework is equivalent to the course of study at the Sustainable Triangle Field Site (STFS) on the Carolina campus, less the formal requirement of an internship. As a result, most students will elect to fulfill the sustainability minor requirements by participating in the STFS. This field site was established to offer a local, and more urban, alternative for students who do not spend a semester at one of IE's remote field sites in North Carolina (Highlands, Manteo, or Morehead City) or abroad (Cambridge, England or Thailand). The STFS offers a similar experience to students who want a concentrated semester of study with a cohort of like-minded peers. The field sites share a common requirement for an internship and capstone project, a seminar series, and two or three core courses relevant to the local environment and the discipline associated with the field site. The STFS includes the same basic requirements, with the exception of a menu of electives beyond the required core course. Required courses for the Minor in Sustainability (credit hours)
Students will choose three sustainability electives (if they elect only one of the two core sustainability courses, ENST 330 or ENST 331) or two Sustainability electives (if they elect both ENST 330 and ENST 331) to complete the minor. Students may petition for additional classes not listed here, if they can demonstrate relevance and rigor. Most courses listed below are cross-listed in more than one department. Sustainability Electives: BIOL 262 See ENST 262 |