Interdisciplinary Studies
Sustainability
Introduction
Sustainability is most commonly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is characterized by three overarching concerns: maintaining ecological and environmental health; creating economic welfare; and ensuring social justice. The aim of the Minor in Sustainability Studies is to help students understand the ways in which these three concerns are interrelated and to explore how they best can be pursued at local, national, and global scales.
The Minor is thoroughly interdisciplinary, benefiting from the teaching and research of faculty from multiple departments and colleges. It is explicitly designed to complement any major area of study.
Course Requirements for the Minor in Sustainability Studies
Students pursuing a Minor in Sustainability Studies must complete a total of 18 credit hours.
- All students take the (3 credit) gateway course, “Facets of Sustainability” (IDS 2935). The course introduces students to the theory, principles, and practices of sustainability as approached through a variety of topical concerns and academic fields. It features a series of lectures by UF faculty and community leaders.
- Students select 4-5 courses from a menu of other courses spanning multiple disciplines to gain a broad exposure to sustainability-related curricula. The menu is listed below.
- Students may apply to participate in the Minor's capstone course, "Sustainability in Action" (IDS 4940). The course has a service learning, internship, or integrative research project component. Students accepted into this capstone course need only complete 4 courses (12 credits) selected from the 4 clusters listed below.
Menu of Courses for the Minor in Sustainability Studies
All students select one course from each of the four clusters. Students who do not participate in the “Sustainability in Action” capstone course must complete a fifth course from the clusters.
Cluster A: Ethics, Culture & Human Behavior
- AEB 4126: Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics
- ALS 5932: Ethnoecology
- AMH 3630: American Environmental History
- ANT 4403: Environment and Cultural Behavior
- EES 3000: Environmental Science and Humanity
- PHI 3633: Bioethics
- PHM 3032: Ethics and Ecology
- REL 2104: Environmental Ethics
- REL 3492: Religion, Ethics, and Nature
- REL 4173: Religion, Ethics, and Sustainable Agriculture
- SYD 4510: Environment and Society
- SYD 4512: Social Institutions and Environment
- WIS 2552: Biodiversity Conservation: Global Perspectives
- WIS 4523: Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Conservation
- WST 3349: Ecofeminism
Cluster B: Economics, Law, & Policy
- AEB 2450: Valuing Environmental Protection in Florida
- AEB 3450: Introduction to Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
- AEB 4123: Agricultural and Natural Resource Law
- AEB 4274: Natural Resource and Environmental Policy
- AEB 4454: Contemporary Issues in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
- AEB 4931: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- ECP 3302: Environmental Economics and Resource Policy
- EUH 3683: The History of Consumption
- EUS 4931/ALS 4905: Climate Change and the European Union: Science and Policy
- FNR 4660C: Natural Resource Policy and Administration
- FOR 4664: Sustainable Ecotourism Development
- GEO 3372: Conservation of Resources
- INR 4350: International Environmental Relations
- POT 3503: Environmental Ethics and Politics
- PUP 3204: Politics and Ecology
Cluster C: Production Systems and the Built Environment
- AGG 3501: Environment, Food, and Society
- AGR 4212: Alternative Cropping Systems
- ALS 3133: Agricultural and Environmental Quality
- AOM 2520: Global Sustainable Energy: Past, Present, and Future
- ART 3843: Environmental Site Specific Art
- BCN 1582: International Sustainable Development
- BCN 3735: Construction, Safety, Health, and the Environment
- EES 3008: Energy and Environment
- EES 4050: Environmental Planning and Design
- EES 4316: Industrial Ecology
- ENV 4612: Green Engineering Design and Sustainability
- HOS 3281C: Principles of Organic and Sustainable Crop Production
- SOS 3022: Introduction to Soils in the Environment
- SOS 4231C: Soil, Water and Land Use
- SOS 4245: Water Resource Sustainability
- SOS 5132: Tropical Soils Management
- SOS 5234: Environmental Soil, Water and Land Use
- URP 4000: Preview of Urban and Regional Planning
Cluster D: Ecology & Environmental Stewardship
- BOT 2800C: Plants in Human Affairs
- EES 4103: Applied Ecology
- EVS 3000: Environmental Science
- FOR 2662: Forests for the Future
- FOR 3004: Forests, Conservation, and People
- GEO 2200: Physical Geography
- GEO 3250: Climatology
- GEO 3352: The Human Footprint on the Landscape
- GLY 2010C: Physical Geology
- GLY 2030C: Environmental and Engineering Geology
- GLY 2038C: Geology and the Environment
- GLY 2080C: Introduction to Marine Science
- GLY 3074: The Oceans and Global Climate Change
- ORH 3000: Introduction to Ecosystem Restoration
- PCB 3034/PCB4044: Introduction to Ecology/General Ecology
- PCB 3034C: Introduction to Ecology
- PCB 3601C: Plant Ecology
- SOS 2008: Land and Life WIS 3402: Wildlife of Florida
- WIS 3401: Wildlife Ecology and Management
- WIS 3434: Tropical Wildlife
For a list of the cluster courses that are being offered in the fall and spring terms, see the Schedule of Courses at http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/soc/.
Contact
For more information, go to http://www.clas.ufl.edu/sustainability or contact:
Professor Les Thiele
Faculty Advisor for the Minor in Sustainability
Studies
thiele@ufl.edu
Anderson 302
