2022-2023 Cal Poly Humboldt Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Cal Poly Humboldt Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Sustainability Minor


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To pursue sustainability is to recognize that humanity is a part of the natural world, not separate from it, and that healthy social and economic systems depend on healthy ecological systems. Conversely, key threats to global environmental sustainability can only be addressed through societal systems, which must be understood as structured by intersecting systems of power and privilege. The pursuit of sustainability thus requires skills of critical analysis and participatory problem-solving grounded in an understanding of interconnectedness and justice as it relates to humans and the more-than-human world. The Sustainability Minor explores real-world problems from a variety of academic perspectives by incorporating curricula from across the natural and social sciences, as well as humanities and the arts. Its robust, interdisciplinary nature catalyzes intellectual inquiry, systems thinking, and agency to tackle the most pressing socio-ecological challenges of our time.

The Sustainability Minor is designed to engage students from every college, transcending disciplines while complementing any major. It further provides a coherent pathway to fulfill General Education and Diversity and Common Ground requirements (if the student chooses). The minor can be of particular value to students seeking careers in the growing field of sustainability, public policymaking or community development, or in applying sustainability concepts and practices to their chosen career pathway.

Environmental Studies website
John Meyer, Interim Department Chair
john.meyer@humboldt.edu

Requirements for the Minor (19 Units)


A total of 19 units is required for the minor, including one 3-unit lower division introductory course, a minimum of 12 units of required theme courses, and a 4-unit culminating course. Depending on a student’s undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete some of the courses in this minor; however, a student could easily complete this minor without taking a course requiring prerequisites. 

Introductory Course


Complete one of the following courses:

Thematic Areas


Complete four courses (minimum of 12 units), with at least one course in each of the three thematic areas.

Program Learning Outcomes


  1. Understand the fundamental relationships between ecological, economic, political and social systems, and analyze the effects of power and privilege on these relationships;
  2. Demonstrate the ability to critically analyze how societies can foster healthy ecosystems and just economic systems;
  3. Evaluate and apply concepts of interconnectedness, justice and equity to human and more-than-human communities, and
  4. Develop ability to engage in participatory problem solving through stakeholder engagement, communication and collaboration.

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