Furman University
AC-1: Sustainability Course Offerings
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
12.46 / 14.00 |
Laura
Bain Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment David E. Shi Center for Sustainability |
1.1 Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
Number of academic departments with at least one sustainability course offering:
Annotated list or inventory of the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
Description of the process used to identify the institution’s sustainability course offerings by department:
Courses with 4 or fewer students, individualized instruction and performance, technique, or composition based courses were excluded from the total course number. Any course with an SUS designation was identified as a sustainability-focused course. Using course descriptions, faculty member John Quinn scored each course on each of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) on a scale of 0-10 (0= not a focus, 10=primary focus). This data was used to determine sustainability inclusive courses using the following parameters: Any course that has a least one SDG score greater than or equal to 5 or a total SDG score greater than or equal to 10.
Verified that the highest ranked course from each department still existed and was taught within the last 3 years. If it did not/was not, proceeded to go down the list of next best score for the department. Contacted department chairs of each of the lowest scoring courses to verify sustainability inclusion. If they were not verified, the course was taken out of the list.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following two figures:
Points earned for indicator AC 1.1:
1.2 Published sustainability course listings
Online location where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Publication where the institution’s sustainability course listings are maintained:
Description of the process used to create and maintain the institution’s sustainability course listings:
The online course catalog includes formally designated sustainability courses through the SUS prefix or keyword searches. https://catalog.furman.edu/content.php?catoid=24&navoid=1340. The Shi Institute (under Academic Affairs) staff compiled and validated course listings returned by the prefix and keyword searches below.
- Sustainability Science (SUS prefix) course list here.
- Keyword "Sustainability" search course list here.
- Keyword "Environment" search here.
- A course focusing on identities, equity, and justice (IEJ keyword): Course list here.
- A course addressing humans and the natural environment (NE keyword): Course list here.
- A course focusing on world cultures (WC keyword): Course list here.
To further demonstrate the multidisciplinary of sustainability, we organized and categorized a selection of courses by the Raworth donut model of sustainability. This listing is shared with faculty for their input, feedback, and additions.
This list is posted to the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities website and shared with admissions and recruiting staff. https://www.furman.edu/sustainability/programs/campus-as-living-learning-lab/
Shi Institute staff will review and update the course listings over the summer to ensure that it remains current for the upcoming academic year.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.3 Support for academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the incentives provided for individual academic staff to integrate sustainability into the curriculum:
Depending on the nature of faculty interest, curricular topic, and scope of the curricular development, faculty may receive advising, guest lectures by Shi Institute staff, and collaborative time with relevant community professionals. All faculty are invited and incentivized to join and participate in the Affiliate program by providing a fun atmosphere, relevant topics for collaborative discussion, and free refreshments.
The Faculty Development Center engages, supports, and celebrates Furman’s academic community as a collaborative hub of holistic professional growth throughout the career lifecycle. Our programs and opportunities help colleagues develop evidence-based pedagogical practice, advance scholarship, and clarify unique contributions and values with a focus on equity and inclusion. The FCD offers workshops, courses, or events for faculty, including summer course redesign seminars for anyone interested in developing or enhancing their course design and structure, typically during the summer months.
Does the institution host an ongoing multidisciplinary community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program for academic staff who are working to integrate sustainability into the curriculum?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview the institution’s sustainability-focused community of practice, sustainability across the curriculum training program, or equivalent support program:
https://www.furman.edu/shi-institute/sustainability-research/faculty-affiliates/
Furman faculty have a deep history of community engagement through service learning courses, creative activity, teaching, research, and service. Applied Sustainability Research team members work to support this ongoing work by helping to match community and faculty interest and expertise and support ongoing projects. We also provide opportunities for faculty, staff, students and community members to come together to discuss best practices and opportunities for collaboration and learning together.
Through the faculty affiliates program and associated programming, faculty also share strategies for integrating community-based work into courses and explore opportunities for interdisciplinary research. All faculty are invited and incentivized to join and participate in the Affiliate program by providing a fun atmosphere, relevant topics for collaborative discussion, and free refreshments.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.