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Sustainability Curriculum
The study of sustainability at Dickinson College examines the means by which human society and supporting systems can flourish and endure from generation to generation, at scales from the local to the global. From solar panels to social issues, Dickinson College offers numerous courses designed to allow you to apply your passion and skills to these critical contemporary issues. For Fall 2012, Dickinson is offering 53 courses (38 Sustainability Connections & 15 Sustainability Investigations) that explore social justice, economic, environmental and other dimensions of sustainability. They are offered by 23 different academic departments, ranging from Environmental Studies, Earth Sciences and Biology to Africana Studies, Anthropology, East Asian Studies, Economics, History, International Business & Management, Political Science and Sociology to Art & Art History, Religion, Women's and Gender Studies and others.
Featured Course Work
Ecofeminism: Gender, Ecology,
and Justice (2010) - Women's
and Gender Studies
Course Blog
From Crystal Factory to Crystallized Pedagogy (2009) - Environmental Studies Senior Seminar
Course Research Products
Kyoto to Copenhagen: Negotiating the Future of the Planet (2010) - International Business and Management
COP15 Climate Change Blog
Educational Opportunities
Interested in learning more about sustainability courses at Dickinson?
CONTACT US sustainability@dickinson.edu
Why Study Sustainability?
BECAUSE IT MATTERS
Past development yielded progress - progress in material wealth, access to food, public health, security. But at what costs? The benefits of development are not universal or equally shared and they have come with degraded land, water, and air, depletion of critical resources, exposures to toxins and carcinogens, global climate change, destruction of natural habitat, and loss of biodiversity. New models of living and working, and creating a more just society, are possible. Everyone must help create them. But first, you must understand how.
Sustainability Course Designations
Students will gain practical skills for creating a sustainable society by using the Dickinson College campus or other selected organization or community as a living laboratory in which to study and develop solutions to real and pressing problems of sustainable planning and management.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we will explore the demographic, social and economic drivers of a selected global environmental challenge, the dangers it poses to ecological systems, human wellbeing, sustainable development and national security; policy options for responding to the dangers; and the processes, politics and effectiveness of the governance institutions that have jurisdiction over it.
Sustainability Connections (SCON): Related to sustainability
Sustainability Investigations (SINV): Strongly focused on sustainability
Students - Not sure where to begin? Visit The Center for Sustainability Education (or email us to set up an appointment) to discuss opportunities for linking your passion to sustainability, and finding classes that fit your skills and interests.
Faculty - If you teach a course with sustainability content, labs, modules, or an explicit focus on sustainability issues or methods, email sustainability@dickinson.edu to have your course added to the list.
Need help developing course content? Research our Faculty Development Opportunities or email us for more information.