MINOR IN SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES

The sustainability minor is open to students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Villanova School of Business.

Sustainability does not just consider the environmental dimension; but also, the social and economic dimensions, which, when combined, make up the sustainability model—a standard of ethical responsibility many corporations, institutions and governments have adopted as set of guiding principles. The fact is, if we want future generations to enjoy a healthy, equitable and prosperous Earth, then we must modify behaviors and policies now to re-cast the way we live.

EXPLORE THE MINOR

  1. Describe the technical and social aspects of a commitment to sustainability.
  2. Describe the ethical and philosophical underpinnings of a commitment to sustainability.
  3. Evaluate environmental processes and their nexus with human activity to examine sustainable (or unsustainable) practices.
  4. Examine and describe the human dimension of global environmental change.
  5. Describe the links between the global economic environment, resource availability and distribution, and their effects on sustainable practices.
  6. Define the linkages between non-sustainable practices, resource shortages, and regional conflict.

Applications for a Sustainability Minor Attribute are due on the first Friday of the fall semester.

Apply to have your course approved for the minor by completing the application form. Please note you must upload your course syllabus. You application will be directed to the Advisory Committee, who will be in touch with you by the end of September.

Please submit your course as a Sustainability-Focused or Sustainability-Inclusive course.

  • Sustainability-Focused Course: title and/or description must indicate a primary and explicit focus on sustainability. Course title or description does not have to use the term “sustainability” if the primary and explicit focus of the course is on the interdependence of ecological and social/economic systems or a major sustainability challenge such as climate change.
  • Sustainability-Inclusive Course: title and description do not unequivocally indicate such a focus, but it is evident from the course description or syllabus that the course prominently incorporates sustainability challenges, issues, and concepts. For this designation, sustainability themes are clearly intertwined with at least one quarter of the overall course content.

Please also designate your course for the appropriate stem: i.e., Science and Technology, Policy and Management, or Humanities. You may select only one.

Contact Program Director Frank Galgano with any questions.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the Villanova School of Business should contact:

Francis A. Galgano, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment

Students in the College of Engineering should contact:

Virginia Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering