This course explores what sustainability action entails from academic and practitioner perspectives. One of the goals of the course is to encourage strategic thinking and leadership development. We look at the interdependent nature of social and ecological challenges, consider effects of paradigms, mindsets, and power dynamics, and explore sustainability tools including systems thinking, inter-and transdisciplinary approaches, sustainability leadership strategies, effective messaging and communication, creating shared value (CSV), and stakeholder theory and analysis. We apply these tools by brainstorming viable sustainability solutions for business, non-profit, government, educational, or other organizations and provide current and local context for the material we cover.

This course will provide credit for practical work or a project experience in sustainability. The purpose of the course is to gain practical experience working in a sustainability field while simultaneously achieving specific learning goals pre-identified by the student and faculty mentor.

This course provides students with opportunities to examine and promote health within communities. Students explore components of healthy communities, with a focus on equity, sustainability, and social and environmental justice. The class examines historical, contemporary, and future factors that empower and constrain community residents and systems. Students practice skills for social change and engage in experiential activities and discussion designed to foster consideration of community health and social justice.

This course introduces students to practitioner-researcher role in social work. The class includes critical evaluation of, and introduction to research including project design, survey and evaluative methodologies. The course introduces students to statistics used in research process. Each student completes an individual research project.