Certificate Coursework
Students pursuing the Sustainability Certificate must complete one* course from each of the three categories below: Foundations, Physical Systems, and Human Systems. Classes need not be taken in that order.
Important Notes about Qualifying Courses:
- Course substitutions — The list below is of identified qualifying courses. You are not limited to the choices here. Course substitutions are possible; however, substitution options for the Foundations requirement are very limited. Find out what to look for in a course substitute.
- Courses overlapping with your major — Only one of these courses (or the 2-part Global Environment series) may be from or cross-list with your major or minor department.
- Environmental Studies students — If you are counting the Global Environment series as your foundational course, your Physical and Human Systems classes must come from outside your major/minor department. This includes cross-listed courses.
- Geography students — ATMO is a program of the Geography department. If you are counting the Global Environment series as your foundational course, you must choose a course other than ATMO from the Physical Systems classes.
Foundations for Sustainability
NOTE: Students can choose to take UBPL 200 or the 2-part Global Environment series to fulfill this category requirement.
| Course(s) | Term |
|---|---|
| UBPL 200:Sustainability and Society | Fall |
—OR—
| Courses | Term |
|---|---|
| EVRN/HIST/GEOG 140:Global Environment I: The Discovery of Environmental Change | Fall |
| EVRN/HIST/GEOG 142:Global Environment II: The Ecology of Human Civilization | Spring |
Physical Systems
| Courses | Term |
|---|---|
| GEOL 171:Earthquakes & Natural Disasters | Spring, Fall |
| ATMO 220:Unusual Weather | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| BIOL 225:Evolution and the History of Life | Fall |
| GEOL 302:Oceanography | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| ATMO/GEOG 321:Climate and Climate Change | Fall |
| GEOL 351:Environmental Geology | Spring, Fall |
| BIOL 477:Ecology and Global Change | Spring |
| GEOL 543:Environmental Ethics: A View from the Natural Parks | |
| GEOL 555:Climate Science | Spring |
Human Systems
| Courses | Terms |
|---|---|
| SOC 160:Social Problems and American Values | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| ENGL 177:Topic: Storytelling for a Better World (must have been taken with Marta Caminero-Santangelo) | Fall |
| UBPL 300:Planning and the American City | Spring |
| HIST/EVRN 336:Ethics, Ideas, and Nature | Spring, Fall |
| ENGL 318: Topic: Lit of Social Justice (must have been taken with Marta Caminero-Santangelo) | |
| ENGL 341:Literature of Social Justice | Spring |
| HIST/EVRN 347:Environmental History of North America | Spring |
| ANTH 350:Human Adaptation | Spring |
| GEOG/EVRN 371:Environmental Geopolitics | Fall |
| SOC/EVRN 385:Environmental Sociology | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| ENTR 490:Social Entrepreneurship | Spring, Fall |
Course Substitutions
Not sure if a particular course is a candidate for substitution? Each of the course categories should cover:
Foundations
An appropriate foundations course will explicitly cover the concept of sustainability and how to apply it to modern society. It will introduce students to approaches to systems thinking and problem solving in environmental, social, and economic systems.
Physical Systems
An appropriate substitution for the physical systems requirement will deal with humans’ use of natural resources, how we manipulate the environment to meet our needs and/or the impact that our interdependence on its resources has to the surrounding natural world.
Human Systems
An appropriate substitution for the human systems requirement will explore a specific, or variety of, construct(s) that humans have developed to achieve our goals and meet our needs. It should include how these constructs depend on, utilize, and/or impact natural resources and/or examine the equity of access for all people to the resources (natural or social) essential for health and success in those systems.
Have you taken or plan to take a course that fits one of these requirements? Request a course substitution by emailing sustaincert@ku.edu. Include the course name, description, and explanation of how it fits the criteria listed above for the category you are requesting.