Sustainability Studies Minor
California State University, Chico
Description
The Sustainability Pathway introduces the multiple dimensions surrounding environmental issues and needed skills to enter both the workforce and public life as a socially-responsible and environmentally-minded citizen. To deepen awareness of the complexity of environmental problems and the pressing need for novel solutions, the Sustainability Pathway curriculum addresses such questions as: how can societies be vital, while maintaining healthy ecosystems and creating strong and just economies? How has the natural world shaped our political, social, and economic systems? How can human innovations and commitment repair ecological damage and lead to a shift in problem solving? This course of study intentionally links the perspectives of multiple academic disciplines around the concept of sustainability, emphasizing systems thinking to address global issues, examining barriers and potential solutions to climate change, natural resource management, and ecosystem restoration. Sustainable behaviors flow from knowledgeable, participatory citizens with an intra-generational awareness of the connections and interdependencies among equitable societies, vital economies, human innovation, and the goods and services provided by stable global ecosystems.
To earn an interdisciplinary Pathway Minor in this field of study, candidates must complete nine lower-division units and nine upper-division units from the courses listed below.