Skip to main content
Core Curriculum

Sustainability

Sustainability

Facilitator: Leslie Gray, Environmental Studies and Sciences

Sustainability is most often defined as meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The recognition that sustainability is an imperative that must be met stems from the fact that humans are using the earths resources and degrading its ecosystems in ways that compromise the health and well-being of future generations and the planet. The sustainability Pathway will allow students to learn about sustainability from multiple disciplinary perspectives and in interdisciplinary ways. This will help our students integrate the interconnected ideals of viable ecological integrity, viable economies, and equity and justice.
Some critical sustainability themes that will be embedded in the curriculum of sustainability Pathway classes are:

Human Connections to the Physical and Natural World
How Natural Systems Function
Ethics and Values
Technological and Economic Relationships to Encourage Sustainability
Motivating Environmentally Sustainable Behavior
Critical Engagement with Sustainability Issues

Associated Courses

Anthropology (ANTH)
50 World Geography (cross-listed with POLI 50 and ENVS 50)
130 Primate Behavioral Ecology 
140 Food, Culture and Environment (cross-listed with ENVS 136)
142 Environmental Archaeology 
154 Environmental Anthropology
Art History (ARTH)
66 Fabricating Nature in E Asia (cross-listed with RSOC 66)
167 Cityscapes, Past and Present 
Biology (BIOL)
5 Endangered Ecosystems L&L 
6 The Oceans L&L 
131 Agroecology L & L (cross-listed with ENVS 132)
133 Ecology of California Plant Communities L&L 
142 Natural History of California L&L 
144 Natural History of Baja California (cross-listed with ENVS 144)
150 Conservation Biology 
151 Restoration Ecology L&L (cross-listed with ENVS 151)
153 Conservation Science (cross-listed with ENVS 153)
156 General Ecology L&L (cross-listed with ENVS 156)
157 Environmental Biology in the Tropics (cross-listed with ENVS 141)
158 Biology of Insects L and L 
188 STEM Education and Justice 
Business (BUSN)
71 Foundations of Leadership (two units; if this course is used towards the pathway, additional courses may be needed to reach the 12 or 16 unit minimum)
72 Business Leadership Skills (two units; if this course is used towards the pathway, additional courses may be needed to reach the 12 or 16 unit minimum)
132 Contemplative Leadership and Sustainability Program (two units; if this course is used towards the pathway, additional courses may be needed to reach the 12 or 16 unit minimum)
150 Feeding The World 
151B Food, Hunger, Poverty, Environment Immersion Preparation 
Civil Engineering (CENG)
20 Geology 
20L Geology Lab (CENG 20 is a co-requisite)
115 Civil Engineering Materials 
115L Civil Engineering Materials Lab (CENG 115 is a co-requisite)
119 Designing for Sustainable Construction (cross-listed with CENG 219)
124 Water Law and Policy 
140 Water Resources Engineering 
140L Water Resources Engineering Lab (CENG 140 is a co-requisite)
143 Environmental Engineering 
143L Environmental Engineering Lab (CENG 143 is a co-requisite)
144 Environmental Systems Design 
144L Environmental Systems Design Lab (CENG 144 is a co-requisite)
161 Sustainable Water Resources (cross-listed with CENG 261)
219 Designing for Sustainable Construction (cross-listed with CENG 119)
261 Sustainable Water Resources (cross-listed with CENG 161)
Chemistry (CHEM)
1 Chemistry & the Environment 
103 Environmental Chemistry
Child Studies (CHST)
106 Urban Education and Multiculturalism 
Communication (COMM)
117 Multicultural Folktales and Storytelling 
137S Film & Sustainability (cross-listed with ENGL 107S)
157 Environmental Communication 
Economics (ECON)
1 Principles of Microeconomics 
1E Principles of Microeconomics
101 Resources, Food, and the Environment (cross-listed with MGMT 173)
111 Economics of the Environment 
129 Economic Development 
134 African Economic Development 
199L Environmental Economics (Independent Study)
Engineering (ELEN, ENGR)
ELEN 182 Energy Systems Design 
ELEN 183 Power Systems Analysis 
ENGR 1 Introduction to Engineering
ENGR 1L Introduction to Engineering Lab (ENGR 1 is a co-requisite)
ENGR 60 Sustainable Electric Energy 
ENGR 90 Solar Decathlon Workshop 
English (ENGL)
106 Advanced Writing (topic: Writing the Wild)
107S Sustainability: Stories & Film (cross-listed with COMM 137S)
176 Creative Writing & Social Justice 
Environmental Studies & Sciences (ENVS)
5 My Environment 
20 The Water Wars of California L&L 
21 Introduction to Applied Ecology L&L 
22 Introduction to Environmental Studies
23 Introduction to Earth Systems L&L 
50 World Geography (cross-listed with ANTH 50 and POLI 50)
79 Environmental Thought 
80 Energy and the Environment 
84 Spirituality and Sustainability (cross-listed with TESP 84)
95 SLURP: Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project 
120 Introduction to Environmental Law and Regulation in the United States 
122 Environmental Politics and Policy (cross-listed with POLI 157)
124 Water Law and Policy 
128 Urban and Environmental Planning
131 Environmental Education 
132 Agroecology L & L (cross-listed with BIOL 131)
133 Sustainable Urban Agriculture Systems 
136 Food, Culture and Environment (cross-listed with ANTH 140)
140 Sustainability Outreach 
141 Environmental Biology in the Tropics (cross-listed with BIOL 157)
142 Writing Natural History 
142B Writing Natural History (Baja)
143 Advanced Writing for the Environment 
144 Natural History of Baja (cross-listed with BIOL 144)
145 Environmental Technology 
146 Agriculture, Environment, and Development: Latin America
147 International Environment and Development 
148 Solar Revolution 
151 Restoration Ecology L&L (cross-listed with BIOL 151)
152 Faith, Ethics and Biodiversity (cross-listed with TESP 152)
153 Conservation Science (cross-listed with BIOL 153)
155 Environmental & Food Justice
156 General Ecology L&L (cross-listed with BIOL 156)
158 Conservation Psychology (cross-listed with PSYC 158)
160 Water Resources L&L 
166 Climate Change: Past, Present and Future 
167 Innovation for Climate Justice 
185 Garbology 
191 Urban Agriculture Practicum 
191EL Urban Agriculture Practicum - ELSJ 
195 SLURP: Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project
199D Interdisciplinary Rsrch in Environmental Studies (Independent Study)
Ethnic Studies (ETHN)
156 Environmental Racism, Gender, & Justice (cross-listed with GNSX 113)
Experiential Learning for Social Justice (ELSJ)
134 Seminar in Social Entrepreneurship 
Finance (FNCE)
180 Open Book Management 
Gender and Sexuality Studies (GNSX)
57 Women in American Society (cross-listed with HIST 84)
113 Environmental Racism, Gender, & Justice (cross-listed with ETHN 156)
History (HIST)
64 Central America 
78 Commodities, Technologies, Conservation: Environmental Histories of Latin America 
84 United States Women's History (cross-listed with GNSX 57)
85 Introduction to United States Environmental History 
92 Modern East Asia 
158 Turmoil and Reform: U.S. 1877-1920 
184 American Historical Geography
188S The Making of Modern America: The Progressive Era 
Management (MGMT)
40 Foundational Knowledge of Managing for Sustainability 
41 Foundational Skills of Managing for Sustainability
42 Leading from the Triple Bottom Line
71 Foundations of Leadership (two units; if this course is used towards the pathway, additional courses may be needed to reach the 12 or 16 unit minimum)
134 Business Sustainability
168 Managing for Sustainability 
173 Resources, Food, and the Environment (cross-listed with ECON 101)
176 Sustainable Food Systems 
178 Business and Human Rights 
Marketing (MKTG)
189 Sustainability Marketing 
Modern Language (ITAL)
60 Science, Technology, and Society: Global Contributions of Italian Design 
Operations and Management Information Systems (OMIS)
108E Sustainable Operations Management 
Philosophy (PHIL)
29 Ethics and the Environment 
29H Ethical Issues & Environment
108 Special Topics: Applied Ethics (topic "Indigenous Peoples, Sustainability and Environmental Justice" only)
116 Environmental Ethics
Physics (PHYS)
5 Physics and Technology for Future Leaders 
Political Science (POLI)
50 World Geography (cross-listed with ANTH 50 and ENVS 50)
123 Global Environmental Politics 
157 U.S. Environmental Policy (cross-listed with ENVS 122)
Religion, Theology, and Culture
Religion and Society (RSOC)
64 Comparative Religion and Environmentalism 
66 Fabricating Nature in E Asia (cross-listed with ARTH 66)
170 Religion, Gender & Globalization
Scripture and Tradition (SCTR)
111 Bible & Ecology 
Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality (TESP)
16/16H Religion, Science and Ecology 
26 Sustainable Theologies 
64 Environmental Justice in Catholic Imagination 
84 Spirituality & Sustainability (cross-listed with ENVS 84)
152 Faith, Ethics and Biodiversity (cross-listed with ENVS 152)
176 Nature, Humanity, Spirituality 
Sociology (SOCI)
138 Populations of India, China & the U.S. 
141 Climate Justice
Theatre & Dance (DANCE)
69 Walk Across California (effective 9/1/09)
169 Walk Across California (effective 9/1/09)