Sustainability

What’s ethically significant about being human, or about our identities as members of various social groups? What do we owe to animals, to ecosystems, to future generations, to AI, and how do our answers to these questions rely on theories of identity? How do social and political institutions and structures limit and enable who we are? How might we reimagine the boundaries of humanity to challenge oppressive and unjust power dynamics? In this course we will examine the origins and enduring justifications for core ethical beliefs, as well as challenges to the idea that there are universal ethical norms by exploring the emergence of different conceptions of humanity and human values from a wide range of globally diverse perspectives. While the course introduces students to many historically significant philosophical voices, most of our classes focus on applying philosophy to concrete contemporary ethical challenges, particularly in the areas of environmental ethics, data ethics, bioethics, and feminist ethics. Note: This course provides the foundations for, and is a prerequisite for, the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law concentration in the Arts & Humanities major. AH111 also counts toward the Minor in Sustainability because it addresses a broad range of environmental ethical topics, including food ethics, climate ethics, and environmental justice.

Design affects the objects, spaces, and ideas of everyday life, from door handles and physical spaces to laws and the virtual spaces in which we experience our lives. Building on a broadly conceived and interdisciplinary understanding of “design,” this course covers approaches to design that are useful for all types of design practice. We explore how people and their technologies and material worlds have co-evolved over time. We also consider ethical questions related to design and practice transferring principles from one design field to other design fields. We conclude by covering recent developments in design studies that will directly equip you to recognize the contingency of different design logics and the intricacies of design trends that emerge in the future. You’ll leave this course with a deeper and more nuanced knowledge of your technological and material worlds, a robust foundation to further practice various types of design, and a nuanced set of tools to participate in the building and crafting of your communities as a designer and/or citizen. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because it addresses sustainable design. Students learn how social, technological, and ecological systems interact in design processes and products and how to use the tools of design for more just and sustainable outcomes.

The Earth system is investigated from its origin to its functioning today. Beginning with the origin of the Universe and the creation of elements in stars, the course progresses to an understanding of solar systems and the conditions that gave rise to habitable planets. Earth evolved from a lifeless, reduced planet with a simple mineralogy to a complex, oxidized planet that can support advanced life such as human beings. An aim of the course is to place human beings in a universal and planetary context, and to see the steps in planetary evolution as an essential perspective on how we relate to Earth today. This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because it addresses the evolution of Earth and the natural processes regulating the planet. In order to sustainably care for the planet, it is essential to understand the systems and processes operating on Earth from climate regulation to natural resource formation and how human activities impact these processes.

“Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution” – T. Dobzhansky. From the relationships among species in a forest to the interactions of molecules in a cell, evolution is ultimately responsible. One might be tempted to view Dobzhansky’s quote as indicating that evolution is one key that unlocks the complexity of biology. That view is supported by statements such as “survival of the fittest,” which oversimplify the complexity of evolution. Instead, Evolution at Multiple Scales views evolution as the elaborate set of interconnected concepts it is. Although Darwin published On the Origin of Species over 150 years ago, evolutionary biology continues to be augmented, as new discoveries are driven by new technologies. By evaluating evolutionary concepts in a broad range of biological scenarios, students deepen their understanding of evolution itself, shedding light on the diversity of life it has produced. This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because it addresses biodiversity. NS112 focuses on the evolutionary processes producing biodiversity, and also addresses the benefits of biodiversity to humans, the consequences of biodiversity loss, and strategies to maintain it.

Governments greatly affect their citizens and, in turn, citizens may greatly affect government and their society. The course has four units to examine these influences. The first unit is a brief introduction to the discipline of political science. The second unit covers the rise of the modern state, seeking to understand the ideas, structural factors, and rational decisions that led to different political orders. The third unit examines how society can change the state through revolutionary and reformist social movements. We end by exploring ongoing struggles in the contemporary world to remake states and societies by critically examining case studies of both positive and negative social change. For the final project, students design a campaign to enact a specific social change (at the local, state, or federal level) and devise ways to assess its impact. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because it provides causal frameworks for understanding the political context of sustainable design, technology, and environmental policy. These causal frameworks include structuralism, constructivism, institutionalism, and rational choice.

Explore how researchers study and monitor earth systems, including the latest methods for climate, pollution, and ocean monitoring. Delve into how models are used to understand and predict earth systems and how to construct your own models of environmental systems. Use this knowledge to understand the major challenges facing the Earth system, the current state-of-the-science, and to design future solutions. This course will introduce students to the fundamental processes that control weather, air pollution, and climate change and enable them to reduce this complex system to simple, yet useful, models. We will critique current models and remote sensing observations to determine what we can and cannot see or predict. Students will evaluate environmental assessments and forecasts, then extend that knowledge to how science is able to inform and change public policy. We will address what are the most important next steps to solve the pressing environmental challenges facing both science and society. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability. In addition to the listed prerequisites, the following courses are recommended prior to taking this course: NS110L or NS110U

Examine environmental and natural resource issues such as pollution, deforestation, climate change impacts, habitat loss, agricultural impacts, and the potential impact of human population growth and consumption. Consider systems challenges and potential solutions including social, political, economic, and technological approaches to major environmental problems. Note: This course is required for the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability. Students not majoring in NS but with a declared minor in Sustainability may enroll in NS166 without completing the prerequisites (NS111 and/or NS112). This course takes an in-depth look at environmental and natural resource issues such as pollution, habitat loss, and climate change impacts and then explores potential solutions. Effective solutions to “keeping Earth habitable” require combining social, political, economic, technological, and ethical approaches.

What makes good governance? How can governments pursue worthy public policy aims successfully? What are the most innovative ideas and best practices governments can adopt to create positive outcomes for the communities and societies they govern? This course seeks to answer those and related questions by examining governance models at the subnational, national, and international levels. We will delve into the current practices of governance at all these levels in various regions around the world in order to learn what does and does not work. As we critically examine these practices and models, we will develop our own thinking and approaches to governance. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because sustainability is increasingly a concern in a wide array of governance matters. Using case studies, the course explores sustainability as a governance issue in a variety of contexts, from local environmental regulation to transnational cooperation on climate change.

This course examines and compares how political systems operate in practice and why they have different outcomes, such as corruption/transparency, racism, political stability/instability, low/high inequality, security/insecurity, and low/high socio-economic standards. Students will learn the ways in which institutions and structures shape the way people act individually and collectively across different countries with diverse political systems to achieve their goals. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability because it takes an in-depth look at the complex interactions that take place between political, social, cultural, and economic factors that are relevant to sustainability. In general, students also learn how to use complexity thinking to analyze and compare the interactions between institutions, structures, and human actions that affect sustainable development issues across different political systems.

Examine important challenges facing both developing and developed economies. Explore the development of societies through the analysis of access to education and healthcare as well as sustainable mechanisms for economic growth. Identify the socio-economic impacts of rural to urban migration and technological progress while exploring the reasons for income inequality throughout the world. Generate and critique policies designed to address specific economic issues within an effective institutional and political framework. Note: This course qualifies as part of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability.

As individuals, we lead both private and public lives. Political and social institutions provide the framework within which we interact with others and pursue our personal goals and ambitions. What is the proper role of these institutions, and how can we change them for the better? How are our social and political institutions the result of design thinking and how can we critically reflect on the design dynamics in play to contribute to more democratic or more just institutions? This course explores these questions by examining central topics in social and political philosophy, including democracy, justice, the family, and the nature of social identity. We investigate how political and social systems ought to be designed, with special consideration to international issues including environmental pollution, humanitarian intervention, global poverty, migration, and secession. Note: This course supports and is a prerequisite for the Philosophy, Ethics and the Law Concentration and the Design Across the Humanities Concentration in the Arts & Humanities major. It also counts toward the Minor in Sustainability because it examines social and political values underpinning institutions of peace and justice featured in contemporary societies, including democratic principles that aim to reduce inequality and poverty, mobility design through immigration and border policies, and the use of design thinking to challenge western conceptions of sustainable development. This course examines democratic principles that aim to reduce inequality and poverty, mobility design through immigration and border policies, and the use of design thinking to challenge Western conceptions of sustainable development.