Sustainability Studies
Sustainability Studies at RWU is all about seeking solutions to the Earth’s most pressing problems. By combining ideas from a variety of disciplines -- from science and humanities to business, engineering and architecture -- you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the complex relationships among environmental, social and economic issues that will help guide your decision-making in your career and as a 21st century citizen.
This minor is coordinated by the Sustainability program.
The minor in Sustainability Studies will facilitate deeper student exploration of complex interrelationships among contemporary environmental, social and economic problems and their possible solutions. In addition, courses will help student’s articulate personal philosophies to guide more sustainable lifestyles (i.e. choices for resource use and other behaviors). After completing a minor in Sustainability Studies, students will be expected to have the requisite interdisciplinary knowledge to think clearly and critically about the complexity of interrelated environmental, social, and economic problems. In addition, the working vocabulary associated with this knowledge base will enable them to communicate across disciplines and more effectively work as part of teams engaged in seeking solutions to problems of sustainability within the business sector, government and non-governmental agencies, the public policy realm, and environmental organizations, among other institutions. In short, the acquisition of a broader, synthetic understanding of complex contemporary sustainability-related issues will allow RWU graduates completing the minor to contribute more effectively in their future careers and as public citizens to creating a more sustainable future for humanity and other species on Earth.