Sustainability Studies Mission Statement
Sustainability is most commonly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The field of Sustainability Studies explores and critiques ways to do this within the context of maintaining environmental health while generating economic opportunity, equitable development and ensuring social justice and well-being. The major and minor operate across disciplines with the goal of instilling understanding, appreciation, and thoughtful problem-solving skills with regard to the relationships and interactions of humans and the environment. Focus areas include the study of the environment in relation to human needs, wants and activity; social justice and social movements; economics development, and business; and policy and practice. The program explores and integrates issues broadly related to sustainability, and how they impact and are addressed at local, national, and global levels; and specifically addresses the intersectional nature of environmental and social issues in relation to human difference, power relations, and equity. Sustainability Studies provides the interdisciplinary foundation and the opportunity for integration among disciplines that are needed to understand many of the complex challenges facing our world and equips students with the skills required to develop solutions to these problems and effect real change. An additional goal is to build a community of faculty and students with a diversity of perspectives and areas of expertise committed to seeking creative solutions for a sustainable future.
Sustainability Studies Program Goals
Students will...
- Understand and be able to apply the concept of sustainability and/or sustainable development
incorporating environmental, social, and economic elements. - Integrate across the three core areas, and understand the essential intersectional nature of
these areas. - Develop an understanding of sustainability at multiple levels such as individual, institutional,
community, regional, national, international and global perspectives. - Learn to solve problems related to sustainability by integrating multiple academic disciplines.
- Learn about and employ systems thinking or other forms of integrative problem solving and
analysis - Develop an understanding of the barriers to sustainability including colonialism as an
extractive force, current economic and political systems, race and racism, and other forms of
injustice. - Engage in sustainability-related problem solving through project development, assessment,
and/or dissemination, and communication including public presentation or writing,
community work, data collection, or policy analysis
