Dalhousie University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

• MGMT 5000 – Management Without Borders – “This course places management in its broadest context and helps students from diverse disciplines explore the complex social, economic, ecological, political and technological forces shaping 21st century leadership in the public, private and non-profit sectors. The course is characterized by a strong emphasis on teamwork and effective problem solving in inter-professional environments. The major focus of the course is the MWB group project. Interdisciplinary teams of 4-6 students will spend the semester working on live projects hosted by organizations from across Nova Scotia.” 

• SUST 3002 Environment, Sustainability & Society Community Engagement Project: “SUST 3002 is an experiential learning class which provides students with a hands-on engagement experience to pursue questions of personal and academic interest relevant to the field. In this course, students work on a specific project at an approved community partner, for approximately six to eight hours per week over a 10-12-week period (60-80 hours)” 

• SUST 3701 Community as a Living Laboratory: “This course introduces students to research, concepts and methods for analyzing community sustainability across a spectrum of perspectives. In this course, the Halifax community serves as a living laboratory for identifying, evaluating and assessing indicators of progress toward greater environmental, social and economic sustainability. Working in groups, students apply problem-solving models to case studies using qualitative and quantitative research methods to help community-based organizations grapple with real world problems. A variety of tools may be used including systems analysis, environmental audits, field surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and statistical analysis. Students then draw conclusions and make recommendations for improvements on the basis of their analysis.” 

• ENVS/SUST 3502 Campus as a Living Laboratory: “In this course, the Dalhousie campus serves as a living laboratory for identifying, evaluating and assessing indicators of progress toward greater campus sustainability. Working in groups, students apply problem solving models to case studies using qualitative and quantitative research methods and make recommendations for improvements on campus based on their analyses.” 

• SUST 4000 Environment, Sustainability & Society Capstone – “Students work in multidisciplinary groups with community partner organizations to identify real problems and develop meaningful strategies to address them. Groups work with advisors and experts and create detailed plans of action based on strong research and analysis.” 

• SUST 4800 Environment, Sustainability & Society Independent Study – “This Independent study course allows fourth-year ESS students to study a topic in Environment, Sustainability and Society not covered in other courses, or in more depth.” 

• SUST 4901 and 4902 Honours Thesis Project - Independent research project carried out under the supervision of an approved faculty member or university-affiliated professional. In this “full year” (September to April) course we examine and practice the research process as students complete a senior honours thesis. The fall term features weekly seminars about crafting a research question, developing a research proposal, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and research ethics. Students write introductory chapters of the thesis including the literature review and research methods, and present their research methods and research proposal. During the winter term, students perform their research, analyze the data, and write the remaining chapters of the thesis. Students summarize and present their findings in an academic poster at the end of the winter term. An ESS Honours Thesis must take an interdisciplinary approach, and must relate to sustainability.

2. The College of Sustainability has several student grants for conference travel to support the costs associated with internships and research. 

• A library research training session is provided to approximately 80-100 students of the course SUST 3502: Campus as a Living Lab. Also, in past years, at least one of the library’s locations (the Killam Memorial Library) has served as a site in which students from this course have conducted project work, including: sustainability audits on the content of waste bins and of lighting in the stack areas, printer paper usage and water consumption. The library also invited students from the course to display their project posters in the library lobby, where they could be viewed by fellow students and members of the public. 

• Since the establishment of the university’s College of Sustainability in 2009, a librarian has served as a member of the College’s Curriculum Committee. Via new course proposals from faculty members, librarians are made aware of new areas of sustainability research and teaching, have been involved in the preparation of library collection assessments in support of the courses, and based on the course content, select library resources in these areas. 

• Although the library does not have a formal policy that relates to the acquisition of materials related to sustainability, since the establishment of the College of Sustainability, the library has made a concerted effort to acquire print books and e-books related to sustainability topics. Through an annual transfer of funds from the College, the library purchases titles on a wide range of relevant topics including food, energy & water security, agriculture, biological ecosystems, urban planning, green business practices, environmental history, ethics, policy and governance issues, sustainable campuses, and eco-tourism. 

• The library subscribes to numerous journals that publish research articles related to sustainability. Some of the specialized titles include:  

• Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 

• Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 

• Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy 

• International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 

• International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 

• International Journal of Sustainable 

•  Energy International Journal of Sustainable Transportation 

• Journal of Cleaner Production 

• Journal of Industrial Ecology 

• Journal of Sustainability and Green Business 

• Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 

• Journal of Sustainable Forestry 

• Journal of Sustainable Tourism 

• Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability 

• Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 

• Renewable Energy 

• Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review 

• Sustainability (Mary Ann Liebert Publishers) 

• Sustainability Energy 

• Sustainability Science