Simon Fraser University
ER-5: Sustainability Course Identification

SFU’s Working Definition of Sustainability-Focused and Sustainability-Related Courses and Sustainability Research Current as of March 2011 Sustainability Courses 2.1 Sustainability Focused Courses Sustainability-focused courses are primarily dedicated to learning sustainability concepts, including their economic, environmental, scientific, cultural and social dimensions. A sustainability-focused course intentionally embeds significant content and/or pedagogies that are consistent with the values, attitudes, skills and knowledge that have the potential to advance sustainable communities. Alternatively, sustainability-focused courses may examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a conceptual lens. 2.2 Sustainability Related Courses Sustainability-related courses incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module, or concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue where the principle or issue being discussed is connected to the larger concept of sustainability, including its economic, environmental, scientific, cultural and social dimensions. A sustainability related course intentionally includes content and/or pedagogies that are consistent with the values, attitudes, skills and knowledge that have the potential to create sustainable communities. 2.3 Elements of a sustainability-focused or sustainability-related course Courses designated as sustainability-focused or sustainability-related may contain one or more of the following elements: - Integration of basic and applied knowledge from multiple disciplines, including the natural and social sciences, to analyze human-environment interactions; - Analysis of the trade-offs or benefits involved in managing resources for the social, economic and environmental welfare of current and future generations; - Development of strategies for the use of natural, human and fiscal resources compatible with the constraints on these resources; - Implementation of practical solutions to socioeconomic and environmental challenges, including those that relate to energy, technology, ecosystems, social transformations, food systems, policy and governance. - Responding to dynamic change projections on various time and geographic scales 2.4: Sustainability Education Learning Outcomes It is useful to ask whether or not a given course will help students to achieve one or more of the following. (Note: the use of the term “sustainability” refers to the full context of sustainability, including its cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions). - Understand and be able to effectively communicate the concept of sustainability. - Understand the need to work toward equitable distribution of opportunities, benefits and decision-making at all scales, from local to global. - Understand the way in which sustainable thinking and decision-making contributes to the process of creating local and global solutions for current and emerging cultural, social, environmental and economic problems. - Be aware of, and able to, explore the connections between their chosen course of study and sustainability. - Be aware of, and able to, explore, and articulate interdisciplinary approaches to the development of sustainable communities - Develop and use an ethical perspective in which they view themselves as embedded in the fabric of an interconnected world. - Synthesize understanding and reasoning of sustainability systems. - Use and integrate knowledge and skills drawn from several disciplines in order to better understand relationships among individuals, organizations, societies, economies and ecosystems and the impact of , technologies and development. - Develop technical skills and/or expertise necessary to implement solutions to sustainability issues and problems. - Promote sustainable communities within and beyond the University's campuses. Due to the shifting nature of sustainability issues, a curriculum that integrates sustainability also demands periodic reassessment.

A definition of sustainability-focused and sustainability-related courses was developed. Key words were taken from these definitions and entered into our curriculum database. Courses were identified based on key words. A second phase will be launched at SFU in summer 2011 to do a more qualitative inventory of courses based on interviews with faculty members in all departments.