Sustainability Studies minor

General information

The purpose of the Sustainability Studies minor is to provide foundational knowledge and skills related to the emerging discipline of sustainability and to prepare students to become innovators within their diverse fields. The minor seeks to educate students in the concepts and best practices in sustainability, and to teach them to consider all factors: economic, environmental and social, both in the short term and in the long term in making decisions. Intended as a complement to core fields of study, the minor draws from courses across all faculties, and enhances and reflects each student’s individual academic and career interests.

Minor requirements

The Sustainability Studies minor is available to all students in any major program at our university. The minor consists of seven courses or 21 credit hours, which includes three mandatory courses and four elective courses chosen from the list below. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in minor courses is required to successfully complete the minor.

Required core courses:

• Three of:

• SUST 1001U – Fundamentals of Sustainability I: Science & Technology
• SUST 1002U – Fundamentals of Sustainability II: Health & Social Sciences
• ENVS 1000U – Environmental Science
• SOCI 1000U – Introductory Sociology
• POSC 3300U – Building Sustainable Communities
• POSC 3303U – Policies for Sustainability
• COMM 3350U – Environmental Communication: Media and Tech for Sustainability
• POSC 3101U – Inequality, Environment and Development

• Please note:  any course not taken from the above option block may be taken as an elective.

Elective courses selected from the following:

Four of:

• EDST 4150U – Holistic Learning in Early Childhood Education
• BIOL 1020U – Biology II: Diversity of Life and Principles of Ecology
• BIOL 1841U – Essentials of Biology
• BIOL 3620U – Conservation Biology
• BIOL 3660U – Ecology
• BIOL 4010U – Introduction to Environmental Research Methods
• BIOL 4080U – Bioethics
• BIOL 4660U – Aquatic Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications
• BUSI 1600U – Management of the Enterprise
• BUSI 1700U – Introduction to Entrepreneurship
• BUSI 2000U – Collaborative Leadership
• BUSI 2050U – Managerial Economics
• BUSI 2620U – Business Ethics
• BUSI 3330U – The Management of Change
• CHEM 3050U – Environmental Chemistry
• COMM 3310U – Communication for Social Change, Community and Development
• COMM 3710U – Media, Identity and Intercultural Communication
• EDUC 3201U – Environmental Education
• ENGR 3730U – Solar Energy Technologies
• ENGR 4480U – Emerging Energy Systems
• ENVS 2010U – Introductory Environment Science
• ENVS 3110U – Economics and Politics of the Environment
• HLSC 1811U – Social Determinants of Health
• HLSC 3710U – Ethics
• HLSC 3823U – Health and Indigenous People in Canada
• HLSC 4803U – Global Health
• HLSC 4809U – Environmental and Occupational Health
• HLSC 4823U – Small Business Practice and Entrepreneurship for Health Professionals
• INDG 2000U – Introduction to Indigenous Studies
• LGLS 2120U – International Law
• LGLS 3230U – Law and Globalization
• LGLS 3310U – Indigenous Peoples, Law and the State in Canada
• LGLS 4040U – Law and the Environment
• MANE 4380U – Life Cycle Engineering
• MECE 3260U – Introduction to Energy Systems
• MECE 4430U – Sustainable and Alternative Energy Technologies
• PHY 4040U – Solar Energy and Photovoltaics
• POSC 2300U – Mobilizing for Change
• POSC 3100U – Political Economy of Global Development
• POSC 3201U – Rural Communities
• POSC 3203U – Urban Development
• POSC 3301U – Eco-Justice
• POSC 3302U – Environment and Globalization
• POSC 3500U – Equity Policy
• SSCI 1470U – Impact of Science and Technology on Society
• SSCI 2020U – Issues in Diversity

Note:

• No more than six credit hours (two courses) can be double counted with the student’s major or minor program.

• It is the student’s responsibility to check carefully for prerequisites, co-requisites and enrollment restrictions.

• Students should note that not all courses listed are available each year and all courses have enrollment capacities.

• Students are strongly encouraged to seek guidance from their Faculty Advisor or the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities to ensure they are meeting all enrollment requirements.