Curriculum
Introduction
One of the primary functions of colleges and universities is to educate students. By training and educating future leaders, scholars, workers, and professionals; higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to understand and address sustainability challenges. Institutions that offer courses covering sustainability issues help equip their students to lead society to a sustainable future.
Featured Resources
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
Haudenosaunee creation story
- Cornell University (NY)
Anna Margaret Davidson's class "The Art and Science of the Mohawk River" meets in Fernow Hall. Chris Rivera ’24 , an environment and sustainability major, created a mosaic that tells …
- Posted July 30, 2024
- Photographs
- View more
ego/eco: environmental art of collective conciousness
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
About the ExhibitionThis group exhibition will include work by thirteen artists or artist collaborations ranging from emerging artists to pioneers in the field of Environmental Art and disciplines spanning graphic …
- Posted May 30, 2024
- Photographs
- View more
Music as a Tool for Promoting Environmental Awareness. Experiences of Undergraduate Education Students on the Production of Video Tales in the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
- Universidad de Salamanca
This paper elaborates on the didactic implementation of musical theater with undergraduate education students. Students had to select, prepare, justify, design, elaborate, rehearse, stage, and record an educational tale that …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Towards an eco-literate tertiary music education: Notes from a South African context
- University of the Witwatersrand
On 20 September 2019 in Cape Town, as part of the global protests on inaction on climate change, the African Climate Alliance submitted a memorandum of demands to South African …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
- View more
Art Education Beyond Anthropocentricism: The Question of Nonhuman Animals in Contemporary Art and Its Education
- Aalto University
In this article, I explore human relationships to nonhuman animals through posthumanism, contemporary art, and critical animal studies (CAS), offering perspectives for contemporary art education beyond anthropocentricism. I investigate the …
- Posted April 22, 2021
- Publications
- View more
Integrated Pathway in Art, Nature, and Conservation
- Earlham College (IN)
The Art, Nature and Conservation Integrated Pathway is designed for students to explore the intersections of art, creativity, nature and conservation. Through a combination of coursework, hands-on and experiential learning, …
- Posted Dec. 17, 2020
- Academic Programs
- View more
Power Dialog Webinar Discussion Template - Music
- Bard College (NY)
Bard College's Solve Climate By 2030 Power Dialog Webinar offers discussion templates for teachers. This template is for music.
- Posted July 9, 2020
- Course Materials
- View more
Power Dialog Webinar Discussion Templates - Film
- Bard College (NY)
Bard College's Solve Climate By 2030 Power Dialog Webinar offers discussion templates for teachers. This template is for film.
- Posted July 9, 2020
- Course Materials
- View more
Power Dialog Webinar Discussion Templates - Art
- Bard College (NY)
Bard College's Solve Climate By 2030 Power Dialog Webinar offers discussion templates for teachers. This template is for art.
- Posted June 12, 2020
- Course Materials
- View more
Kent State University Textile Reuse and Recycling Programs Divert 441,610 pounds (221 tons) From Landfill to Benefit Community and Campus Over Past 5 Years
- Kent State University (OH)
Kent State University has reduced the amount of materials sent to landfills while providing benefits to the local community, campus, and our students. For the past 5 academic years, 2014-2015 …
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Environmental and Interior Design (BFA)
- Syracuse University (NY)
The B.F.A. degree in environmental and interior design (EDI) prepares students to pursue careers focused on the design of the built environment in the disciplines of environmental design, interior design, …
- Posted May 5, 2019
- Academic Programs
- View more
Sustainability in the Visual Arts, Design and Creative Fields
- University of San Francisco (CA)
Designers make the most beautiful trash. Educators in Design, Visual Arts, and other creative fields are challenged with educating our students on how to create high impact messages with low …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Teaching Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship Through Contemporary Art
- Beloit College (WI)
What role can art play in solving current environmental challenges? What should artists do to promote awareness? Is it ethical for artists to make more objects in a world already …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Art and Science Collaboration: The Key to a Sustainable Future
- AASHE (MA)
- Antioch College (OH)
- Pacific Northwest College of Art (OR)
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Camden Campus (NJ)
This webinar is dedicated to art and science collaboration. As this topic has increased in importance to both artistic and scientific communities, Art and Science Collaboration: The Key to a …
- Posted Nov. 2, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Watershed UGA: A living laboratory transforming campus and community through teaching, research and service
- University of Georgia (GA)
Watershed UGA created a vision and framework for using the campus as a living laboratory to advance sustainability through teaching, research, public service and outreach, and university operations. We are …
- Posted May 18, 2017
- Case Studies
- View more
Beneath Our Eyes: An Exploration of the Relationship between Technology Enhanced Learning and Socio-Ecological Sustainability in Art and Design Higher Education
This article uses published research to explore how Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) can help to sustain learning communities to engage in creative exploration and open investigation. It then draws on …
- Posted Feb. 9, 2017
- Publications
- View more
Prophetic Nomadism: An Art School Sustainability-Oriented Educational Aim?
This discursive article proposes that the learning and teaching regimes provided within art school are uniquely placed within higher education to foster nomads. It suggests, however, that nomadism is not …
- Posted Oct. 25, 2016
- Publications
- View more
Classroom as Cinema: Using Film to Teach Sustainability
- Furman University (SC)
- Western New England University (MA)
While the advent of movies in the classroom does not quite date to the invention of the motion-picture camera itself in 1889, given its near-universal power to draw students' attention, …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Publications
- View more
Art meets sustainability in new mural at Sheridan College
- Sheridan College (Ontario) (ON)
On April 27, 2016 Sheridan College unveiled ‘Woven Stories’, a colourful, two-storey public art mural, on the western façade of the Rob Turner Building at its Davis Campus in Brampton, …
- Posted June 2, 2016
- Case Studies
- View more
Student Sustainability Sculptures Contest
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
Beginning in 2011, Johnson County Community College art faculty member Mark Cowardin assigned his Sculpture II students a project requiring the design, proposal, planning, and installation of a public art …
- Posted June 1, 2016
- Case Studies
- View more
BA in Art and Environment
- Unity Environmental University (ME)
The B.A. in Art and Environment at Unity College enables students to study studio art within the context of environmental education. Through an environmental art apprenticeship program, students have the …
- Posted April 12, 2016
- Academic Programs
- View more
Environmental Arts and Humanities Major
- Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)
An interdisciplinary major that explores humanity’s evolving relation to the environment with the benefit of diverse perspectives offered by history, literature, art, philosophy, and religion.
- Posted April 12, 2016
- Academic Programs
- View more
Art & Design Students Collaborate with University and Community to Mitigate Birdstrikes on Campus Buildings
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
Summary: We present an innovative, grant-funded partnership between the university department of Art & Design, department of Writing Studies, Office of Sustainability, UMD Facilities Management, local wildlife rehabilitators, and local …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How do the arts and culture fit in the undergraduate sustainability curricula?
- Pacific Lutheran University (WA)
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
How do the arts and culture fit in to sustainability curricula? This briefing will inform participants about efforts to highlight and increase the role of arts and culture in Xavier …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Community Engagement Through the Arts
- Transylvania University (KY)
This presentation will focus on “Community Engagement Through the Arts” (CETA), a course we teach at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY with the stated goal of creating and maintaining sustainable …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
CSI: Greensboro - Engaging Arts Students in the Sustainability Conversation
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro (NC)
The fine arts are often an overlooked area to promote and engage university sustainability. However, for institutions that embrace the arts throughout their curricula, ways to engage this community are …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Empowering Ecoliteracy: A Transformative Art & Design Education Bridges Academics, Operations, and Facilities
- The New School (NY)
Parsons The New School for Design in New York City has approached sustainability holistically to engage students - shaping how they work, study, and participate in the material world - …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Student Engagement around Sustainability through Visual Art
- Columbia College Chicago (IL)
Students play an important roll in how the message of sustainability will addressed in the near future. As a way to engage fellow students in conversation, we want to display …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Breaking Sustainability Ground in Art and Design
- Savannah College of Art & Design (GA)
What has an Art and Design College to do with sustainability? The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) currently offers 32 Majors ranging from Advertising Design, Architecture, Fibers, Historic …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability in the Curriculum: A Case Study in Art
- Auburn University (AL)
This presentation will summarize ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability into the theory and practice of the sculpture program at Auburn University. The first half of the presentation will focus on …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
What's Next? The Greening of Art Pedagogy
- Land Views, Online Journal of Landscape, Art, and Design (NY)
Studio art teachers are confronting the unprecedented challenge of preparing students to maximize their artistic marks while minimizing their environmental footprints. What strategies can be adopted to integrate environmentalism into …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
AC 1: Academic Courses
- Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Website URL - Sustainability course offerings
AC 2: Learning Outcomes
- Description of institution level sustainability learning outcomes
- List of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability
- Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of sustainability
- Website URL - Sustainability learning outcomes
AC 3: Undergraduate Program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
AC 4: Graduate Program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
AC 5: Immersive Experience
- Description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s)
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (upload)
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability literacy
AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses
- Description of the course development incentives
- Website URL - Incentives for developing sustainability courses
AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.