The Ohio State University
ER-5: Sustainability Course Identification

Goal: Sustainability coursework helps students to become engaged and responsible global citizens, by examining and acting upon our shared world systems, including but not limited to energy, environment, food systems, economic justice, and globalization. Expected Learning Outcomes 1. Students exhibit a multidisciplinary understanding of some combination of social, economic, cultural, and scientific elements in analyzing real world energy, resource and/or food system challenges at local, regional and global scales. 2. Students are able to describe, analyze, and critically evaluate the roles of personal, socio-cultural, economic, technological, and environmental aspects of sustainability. 3. Students recognize the role of their own attitudes, values, and behaviors as global citizens in problems of sustainability.

Sustainability courses were selected for the inventory via a survey of the University Registrar’s 2012-2013 Course Offerings Bulletin. A subset of courses was generated by selecting those offered at the Columbus campus which contained one of a number of relevant keywords in the course title, description or goals. The list was further refined by analysis of the course description and objectives according to the AASHE STARS Technical Manual version 1.2 definitions for sustainability-focused and sustainability-related courses.