UBC Okanagan

Course Descriptions

Sustainability, Faculty of Science

SUST: Sustainability

SUST 100 (3) Sustainability: People, Place, and Process

The concept of sustainability and its relationship to people and communities, the management and conservation of natural resources, land and food systems, and the built environment. Guest speakers and in-class discussions covering topics which address local and global contexts. May include community service learning project. [3-0-0]

SUST 104 (3) Introduction to Environmental Humanities

Explores the contribution of historical, philosophical, anthropological, and literary scholarship to elucidation and mitigation of a specific environmental issue. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 100 recommended.

SUST 200 (3) Application, Practice and Management Approaches

Concepts of governance, natural resource management, and economy-environment connections. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 100.

SUST 201 (3) Introduction to Research in Sustainability and Geography

Introduces skills required to conduct, critically assess, and present research in geography and sustainability. Develops research skills from problem definition through to design and execution of research projects, including how to identify and categorize scholarly articles; identify research questions; and, collect, analyze, and present data and research findings. Credit will be granted for only one of SUST 201, GEOG 201, or GEOG 371. [2-0-1]
Equivalency: GEOG 201.

SUST 202 (1) Community Service Learning

Apply sustainability learning and knowledge to the broader community through a self-directed project involving at least 30 hours of community service. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [0-0-1]

SUST 204 (3) Creative Communication and Engagement

Using experiential and collaborative learning, students of sustainability improve their communication skills as speakers, listeners, collaborators, leaders and problem solvers. Credit will be granted for only one of SUST 204 or THTR 204. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 104 recommended.
Equivalency: THTR 204.

SUST 205 (3) Sustainability Economics

Explores and contrasts approaches and tools from mainstream economics and heterodox economics that may contribute to sustainability decision making. Identification and evaluation of trade-offs associated with choices made in the name of sustainability. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 200 recommended.

SUST 300 (3) Achieving Sustainability at the Regional Scale

Advanced analysis of regional-scale challenges and solutions to sustainability in developed and developing nations. Ecosystem services and relationships to human well-being. Social and ecological resilience of landscapes. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 200.

SUST 301 (3) Methods in Solving Wicked Problems

Interdisciplinary methods to address challenges of finding sustainable solutions to multi-scale, multi-stakeholder problems that require systems-level approaches. We begin with the premise that these problems are 'wicked' problems that have no single, correct solution, and where any solution is intertwined with issues of human ethics, values, and social equity. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 300 and one of BIOL 202, STAT 230, SUST 201.

SUST 302 (1) Community Service Learning

Apply sustainability learning and knowledge to the broader community through a self-directed project involving at least 30 hours of community service. Development of personal sustainability goals. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [0-0-1]
Prerequisite: SUST 202.

SUST 400 (6) Capstone Project in Sustainability

Applied project in sustainability studies. May follow a traditional academic research model or may be community-based. May be undertaken in partnership with external organizations as relevant. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [6-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 301.

SUST 402 (1) Community Service Learning

Apply sustainability learning and knowledge to the broader community through a self-directed project involving at least 30 hours of community service. Refine personal sustainability goals. Work with diverse stakeholders to attain a common objective. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program. [0-0-1]
Prerequisite: SUST 302.

SUST 491 (3) Special Topics in Sustainability

Intensive examination of selected topics in sustainability. May include field project or travel. Consult department for this year's offerings. [3-0-0]
Prerequisite: SUST 100 and third-year standing.