Cascadia College
IN-38: Sustainability Course Designation

Designated sustainability courses are identified with an "SU" label in the course catalog and the online registration system so students can easily identify and select sustainability courses.

We have Course Outcome Guide requirements that must be met for a course to earn a sustainability designation.

COG Requirements for Earning the Sustainability Designation:

1. Incorporation of the following statement into the Course Topics and Themes:

“Sustainability as it relates to…. the course content.”

2. Incorporation of at least three of the sustainability outcomes from the accompanying document. Three can come from any one of the outcome categories; no specific categories need be represented.

Sustainability Outcomes
1. Learn Actively

• Identify how local/national/personal decisions affect other regions of the world with respect to the sustainability of environmental, economic, and/or cultural issues.
• Integrate concepts of sustainability from multiple disciplines.
• Reflect upon one’s personal ecological footprint within the context of a global footprint.
• Identify ecosystem services and/or other ways in which humans rely on the natural world.
• Explore the role of technology in promoting and/or impeding sustainability.
• Explore the historical relationship human interaction has with nature
• Examine how economics has affected countries in managing their sustainability
• Identify and interconnect components and process in ecological systems, and predict the result of human actions on these systems.
• Make changes in one’s personal life that promote sustainability.
• Apply the precautionary principle to environmental problems.
• Describe the concept of environmental racism and give examples of how marginalized peoples disproportionately inhabit areas that have been environmentally degraded
• Participate in community outreach programs or projects that promote sustainability awareness or sustainable solutions
• Describe how non-sustainable behaviors arise, and provide examples of how sustainable alternatives can be implemented

2. Think Critically, Creatively, & Reflectively

• Critically analyze principles of sustainability as it relates to key course topics.
• Identify how local/national/personal decisions affect other regions of the world with respect to the sustainability of environmental, economic, and/or cultural issues.
• Explore the historical relationship human interaction has with nature
• Examine how economics has affected countries in managing their sustainability
• Identify and interconnect components and process in ecological systems, and predict the result of human actions on these systems.
• Evaluate solutions to environmental problems from ecological, economic and/or ethical perspectives.
• Describe the concept of environmental racism and give examples of how marginalized peoples disproportionately inhabit areas that have been environmentally degraded
• Identify ways in which cultural norms and individual habits can lead to sustainable or unsustainable results
• Describe multiple definitions of sustainability and provide arguments for their viability
• Evaluate social and environmental practices and behaviors to evaluate their effect on sustainability, and offer suggestions for sustainable solutions
• Describe how non-sustainable behaviors arise, and provide examples of how sustainable alternatives can be implemented
• Examine how complex interactions between environmental and cultural systems can lead to either unsustainable or sustainable outcomes

3. Communicate with Clarity and Originality
• Identify how local/national/personal decisions affect other regions of the world with respect to the sustainability of environmental, economic, and/or cultural issues.
• Identify and interconnect components and process in ecological systems, and predict the result of human actions on these systems.
• Describe the concept of environmental racism and give examples of how marginalized peoples disproportionately inhabit areas that have been environmentally degraded
• Identify ways in which cultural norms and individual habits can lead to sustainable or unsustainable results
• Explain how social and environmental systems together are needed to promote a sustainable future
• Describe multiple definitions of sustainability and provide arguments for their viability
• Evaluate social and environmental practices and behaviors to evaluate their effect on sustainability, and offer suggestions for sustainable solutions
• Describe how non-sustainable behaviors arise, and provide examples of how sustainable alternatives can be implemented
• Explain how complex interactions between environmental and cultural systems can lead to either unsustainable or sustainable outcomes

4. Interact in Diverse and Complex Environments
• Identify how local/national/personal decisions affect other regions of the world with respect to the sustainability of environmental, economic, and/or cultural issues.
• Explore the historical relationship human interaction has with nature
• Identify and interconnect components and process in ecological systems, and predict the result of human actions on these systems.
• Identify ways in which cultural norms and individual habits can lead to sustainable or unsustainable results
• Explain how social and environmental systems together are needed to promote a sustainable future
• Participate in community outreach programs or projects that promote sustainability awareness or sustainable solutions

SU courses can be found in various ways. The annual planning guide has all designations listed, and can be searched by SU: https://www.cascadia.edu/academic_resources/documents/21-22%20Planned%20Course-Section%20Offerings%20%2005.06.2021.pdf

Alternately, current listings can be found by using the 'searchable quarterly class guide': https://www.cascadia.edu/academic_resources/schedules_catalogs.aspx#search
Steps:
1. Open the Searchable class guide
2. Choose the correct quarter
3. Click on "more filters"
4. In the 2nd row, click "course attributes" and select "cascadia defined attributes"
5. In the box to the right, click on "course attribute value" and select either 'Sustainability' or 'Equity Diversity and Power' as our two focused and connected course elements options.