Academic Course on Sustainability
ACADEMICS
At Texas A&M University-Kingsville, concern for sustainability in academics has a long history. In each of the five Colleges comprising the TAMUK curriculum aspects of sustainability are integral to academic pursuits, both in research and educational offerings. At this critical moment in the history of the world TAMUK is proud of the important work being done in sustainability, while embracing innovative research directions and courses of study.
Current conditions
In the fall of 2011 the Office of the Provost mandated an initiative to make academic credentials available to students in the area of sustainability. An appointment of a coordinator and a faculty committee resulted in a strategy for the design and implementation of a variety of offerings, including a transcripted and non-transcripted certificate in the short term, with a possibility of a Minor in Sustainability in long term planning.
Surveys for both students and faculty are currently in circulation, intended to determine interests and existing opportunities for educational experiences in sustainability. Results from the surveys will guide the design of the sustainability credentials. These credentials will enhance a student’s major area of study, boosting their job competitiveness. It is expected that a credential offering will be made to students in the fall of 2012.
Academics at a glance
A credential in sustainability has the potential to increase a graduate’s job competitiveness, especially in disciplines already allied to aspects of sustainability. It demonstrates to a future employer the graduate’s awareness of contemporary issues surrounding their chosen career path. For students in fields of study that are not overtly allied to aspects of sustainability, these credentials can broaden their understanding of issues relevant to every citizen of the world.
Certificates in Sustainability
Undergraduate certificates typically consist of 12 to 15 credit hours of coursework. Transcripted certificates appear on the student’s academic transcript as a stand-alone credential, apart from the degree earned in the student’s major area of study. A non-transcripted certificate accounts for the courses taken in sustainability, but is not a stand-alone credential that appears on the student’s transcript. While these offerings are still in the planning stages, it is expected that a certificate will be available in the fall term of 2012. Check this site in coming months for an update on what is offered in certificates in sustainability!
Minor in Sustainability
A minor consists of 18 or more credit hours and appears on the student’s certificate as a stand-alone credential. The Sustainability minor is in the early planning stages.
Campus-wide sustainability
Go to the college links for an in-depth look at its activities and academic offerings in sustainability:
*Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences
*College of Arts and Sciences
*College of Business Administration
*College of Education and Human Performance
*Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering
Goals for Sustainability in Academics
The Office of the Provost charged the Committee for Sustainability in Academics with the creation of educational opportunities in sustainability. The initial effort to create credentials in sustainability is intended to result in certificates and a minor in the academic year 2012-13. Future educational opportunities in international studies, internships and job opportunity listings are anticipated initiatives. Check this website for updates!
Books related to issues sustainability
- Deep Ecology, Living As If Nature Mattered, Bill Devall, George Sessions.
- The End of Nature, McKibben, B.
- The Sustainability Revolution, Edwards, A.
- Seeing Green, Jonathon Porritt.
- The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living, William H. Kemp (lots of books by this author in library).
- For Hunger-Proof Cities: Sustainable Urban Food System, Mustafa Koc (Editor), Rod MacRae (Editor), Jennifer Welsh (Editor), Luc J. A. Mougeot (Editor).
- Searching for Sustainability, Norton, B.
- Ecological Economics: The Science and Management of Sustainability, Robert Costanza.
- Waste and Want, Strasser, S.
- Laboratory Earth, Stephen H. Schneider.
- Sand County Almanac, Leopold, A.
- Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, Richard Heinberg (lots of books by this author in library).
- Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered, E.F. Schumacher.
- Earth in the Balance, Al Gore.
- Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser.
- Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last?, Sandra Postel.
- Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World, Paul Hawken.
- Sustainability on Campus: Stories and Strategies for Change (Urban and Industrial Environments), Peggy F. Barlett (Editor), Geoffrey W. Chase (Editor).
- Silent Spring, Rachel Carson.
- Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build a Competitive Advantage, C Esty.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson.
- Geography and The Human Spirit, Anne Buttimer.
- Creation, E.O. Wilson.
- Earth Odyssey, Around The World In Search Of Our Environmental Future, Mark Hertsgaard.
- Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart, M.
- Collapse, Diamond, J.
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America, Thomas Friedman.
- Stuff, J. Ryan & A. Durning.
- Environmentalism: A Global History, Guha, R. (Checked out until 04/14).
- Enough, McKibben, B.
- The Long Emergency, Kunstler, J. H.
- The Local Politics of Global Sustainability, Thomas Prush, Robert Costanza, Herman Daly.
This page was last updated on: February 01, 2013