Connect sustainability to my discipline | Sustainability in Curriculum

Purpose: Determine how sustainability specifically relates to the discipline and what skills, knowledge, or values related to sustainability a student may need to know.

Process: Review what content students already learn, the relevance of sustainability, and what students may need in the future. Departments will review what existing learning objectives need to be updated to include a sustainable perspective and what new content needs to be created to remain current in the field and create future-ready graduates.

Outcomes: Departments will ideally identify key skills, competencies, and values students will need related to sustainability, and formulate appropriate learning objectives.

Resources: Include industry associations and relevant academic research, as well as reflection guides to facilitate discussions within the department. You can also find available supports in the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), the Sustainability Office, and other groups on campus to aid in initial conversations.

Guiding Questions:

What does sustainability mean for the discipline?
How does it impact students and what competencies does a graduate need?

framework for sustainability integration with connect bolded

Resources

Reflection Guide

Summary: A series of questions to prompt discussion and thinking within the department when mapping relevant knowledge, skills, and values in sustainability.

Purpose: This resource will help guide discussion and thinking to identify connections.

Link to resource

Research Connected to Sustainability

Summary: Broken out by faculty, these are example articles considering sustainability in the context of various disciplines across the university. This is primarily research from North America, but includes some more international findings as well. This provides a basis of how sustainability is being considered in academia in these disciplines.

Purpose: These examples in research may provide some context for how peer researchers are considering sustainability within the field, and may inspire relevant connections to curriculum.

If you have an industry association you would like to add to the list, or a link is broken, please contact us.

Arts

Business

Caliyurt, K. T. (Ed.). (2021). Ethics and Sustainability in Accounting and Finance, Volume II (1st ed. 2021.). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1928-4
Azarenkova, G., Golovko, O., & Abrosimova, K. (2018). Management of enterprise’s financial sustainability and improvement of its methods. Accounting and Financial Control, 2(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21511/afc.02(1).2018.01
Ilic, M. (2021). Karl Bruckmeier: ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABILITY Social-Ecological Perspectives. Društvena Istraživanja, 30(4), 833–835. https://doi.org/10.5559/di.30.4.09
van Niekerk, A. (2020). Inclusive Economic Sustainability: SDGs and Global Inequality. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 12(13), 5427-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135427

Social Sciences

Eriksen, T. H. (2022). The Sustainability of an Anthropology of the Anthropocene. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 14(6), 3674-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063674
John Ødemark. (2019). Touchstones for Sustainable Development: Indigenous Peoples and the Anthropology of Sustainability in Our Common Future. Culture Unbound, 11(3–4), 369–393. https://doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.191217b
Park, S. K., & Berger-Walliser, G. (2015). A Firm-Driven Approach to Global Governance and Sustainability. American Business Law Journal, 52(2), 255–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/ablj.12046
Crowther, D., & Seifi, S. (2020). Governance and Sustainability: International Perspectives (1st Edition 2020). Springer Singapore Pte. Limited. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6370-6
Fisher, J., & Rucki, K. (2017). Re‐conceptualizing the Science of Sustainability: A Dynamical Systems Approach to Understanding the Nexus of Conflict, Development and the Environment. Sustainable Development (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England), 25(4), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1656
Machlis, G. E. (Ed.). (2011). Warfare Ecology A New Synthesis for Peace and Security (1st ed. 2011.). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1214-0
Krampe, F. (2017). Toward Sustainable Peace: A New Research Agenda for Post-Conflict Natural Resource Management. Global Environmental Politics, 17(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1162/GLEP_a_00431
Parker, J. (2014). Critiquing sustainability, changing philosophy. Routledge.
Brenner, J. (2018). The Philosophy of Ecology and Sustainability: New Logical and Informational Dimensions. Philosophies (Basel), 3(2), 16–0. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies3020016
Scoones, I. (2016). The Politics of Sustainability and Development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41(1), 293–319. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev environ-110615-090039
Paterson, M. (2021). “The End of the Fossil Fuel Age”? Discourse Politics and Climate Change Political Economy. New Political Economy, 26(6), 923–936. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2020.1810218
Pelletier, L. G., Lavergne, K. J., & Sharp, E. C. (2008). Environmental Psychology and Sustainability: Comments on Topics Important for Our Future. Canadian Psychology = Psychologie Canadienne, 49(4), 304–308. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013658
Hunecke, M.(2022). Psychology of Sustainability: From Sustainability Marketing to Social-Ecological Transformation (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16752-2
Takhar, S. (2015). Sustainability, human rights, and sexuality: Making the right connections. Local Economy, 30(3), 256–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269094215580084
Gaard, G. (2015). Ecofeminism and climate change. Women’s Studies International Forum, 49, 20–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2015.02.004
Social development and sustainability. (2019). In Transit Oriented Development and Sustainable Cities (pp. 118–118). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788971713.00015
Drolet, J. L., & Sampson, T. (2017). Addressing climate change from a social development approach: Small cities and rural communities’ adaptation and response to climate change in British Columbia, Canada. International Social Work, 60(1), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872814539984
Longo SB, Isgren E, Clark B, et al. Sociology for sustainability science. Discover sustainability. 2021;2(1):1-14. doi:10.1007/s43621-021-00056-5
Islam M. Sustainability through the Lens of Environmental Sociology: An Introduction. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland). 2017;9(3):474-. doi:10.3390/su9030474

History and Culture

Post, R. (2017). The environmental history of Classical and Hellenistic Greece: The contribution of environmental archaeology. History Compass, 15(10), e12392-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12392
Neumann, J. (1985). Climatic change as a topic in the classical Greek and Roman literature. Climatic Change, 7(4), 441–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00139058
Beal, V. (2012). Urban governance, sustainability and environmental movements: post-democracy in French and British cities. European Urban and Regional Studies, 19(4), 404–419. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969776411428562
Sanches, S. (2005). Sustainable consumption à la française? Conventional, innovative, and alternative approaches to sustainability and consumption in France. Sustainability : Science, Practice, & Policy, 1(1), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2005.11907964
Person, M. W. (2016). Review of Sabine Wilke, German Culture and the Modern Environmental Imagination: Narrating and Depicting Nature. Environmental Values, 25(2), 250–252. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327116X14552114339142
Oldfield, J. D., & Shaw, D. J. B. (2002). Revisiting sustainable development: Russian cultural and scientific traditions and the concept of sustainable development. Area (London 1969), 34(4), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4762.00096
Petric, H., & Hirt, P. (2015). ECONOMIC- AND ECOHISTORY. INTRODUCTION FOR SPECIAL ISSUE ON HISTORY AND SUSTAINABILITY. Ekonomska i Ekohistorija, 11(1), 5-.
Martin, M. S. (2023). Agrotopias: An American Literary History of Sustainability . By Abby L. Goode. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 30(2), 522–523. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isad012
Zaleha, B. D. (2016). Religion and Sustainability: Social Movements and the Politics of the Environment [Review of Religion and Sustainability: Social Movements and the Politics of the Environment]. Environmental Ethics, 38(4), 503–506. Environmental Philosophy, Inc. https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics201638441
Koehrsen, J. (2015). Does religion promote environmental sustainability? – Exploring the role of religion in local energy transitions. Social Compass, 62(3), 296–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768615587808
Tàbara, J. D., & Ilhan, A. (2008). Culture as trigger for sustainability transition in the water domain: the case of the Spanish water policy and the Ebro river basin. Regional Environmental Change, 8(2), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-007-0043-3
Heyd, T. (2005). Sustainability, culture and ethics: Models from Latin America. Ethics, Place and Environment, 8(2), 223–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668790500237385
Rodríguez-Rivero, R., Ortiz-Marcos, I., & Patiño-Arenas, V. E. (2022). Exploring the Influence of Culture in the Present and Future of Multicultural Organizations: Comparing the Case of Spain and Latin America. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 14(4), 2327-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042327

Arts, Communications, and Language

Godemann, Jasmin., & Michelsen, Gerd. (Eds.). (2011). Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoretical Foundation (1st ed. 2011.). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1697-1
Weder, F. (2023). Cultivation of sustainability in a discourse of change: Perspectives on communication for sustainability as new “norm” and principle of action in socio-ecological transformation processes. Journal of Language and Politics, 22(5), 577–600. https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.22122.wed
Gunina, N., Mordovina, T., & Shelenkova, I. (2021). Integrating sustainability issues into English language courses at university. E3S Web of Conferences, 295, 5006-. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202129505006
Rudenko, E. (2023). Embedding sustainability into English environment: a holistic approach. E3S Web of Conferences, 371, 5017-. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202337105017
Clarke, A., & Hulbert, S. (2016). Envisioning the Future: Working toward Sustainability in Fine Art Education. The International Journal of Art & Design Education, 35(1), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12047
Jörissen, B., Unterberg, L., & Klepacki, T. (2023). Cultural Sustainability and Arts Education: International Perspectives on the Aesthetics of Transformation (1st ed., Vol. 2). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3915-0
Schippers, H., & Seeger, A. (Eds.). (2022). Music, communities, sustainability: developing policies and practices. Oxford University Press.
Franco Pistono. (2022). Music and sustainability: An educational proposal. Formazione & Insegnamento, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XX-02-22_21
TITON, J. T. (2009). Music and Sustainability: An Ecological Viewpoint: Music and Sustainability. World of Music, 51(1), 119–137.
Bendor R. Interaction design for sustainability futures: Towards worldmaking interactions. In: Digital Technology and Sustainability. 1st ed. Routledge; 2018:205-216. doi:10.9774/gleaf.9781315465975_24
Nunes L, Alvão CM. Perspectives in Sustainable Interaction Design: A preliminary discussion involving human values and HCI. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 2017;61(1):823-827. doi:10.1177/1541931213601700

Engineering

Boarin, P., Martinez-Molina, A., & Juan-Ferruses, I. (2020). Understanding students’ perception of sustainability in architecture education: A comparison among universities in three different continents. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119237-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119237
Ahmed, I., & Noguchi, M. (Eds.). (2023). Resilience and sustainability in architecture and urban planning : policies, practices, strategies and visions. MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.(Book)
Karjanto, N. (2022). Seeking Genuine Vocations through Sustainability in Chemical Engineering. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 14(12), 6980-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126980
Roland Clift, Sustainable development and its implications for chemical engineering, Chemical Engineering Science, Volume 61, Issue 13, 2006, Pages 4179-4187, ISSN 0009-2509, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2005.10.017.
Nnaji, U. P. (2019). Sustainability in Chemical Engineering Design. In Introduction to Chemical Engineering (pp. 277–293). John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119592228.ch7
Braham, A. (2020). Fundamentals of sustainability in civil engineering. (Second edition.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780367817442
Committee on Social Science, P., Harper, Ben., Davidson, C. Ian., Eide, Fran., Rosenberg, Heather., Hegelson, Jennifer., McNeil, Sue., Field, Caroline., & Zawislak, Chris. (2023). Integrating Resilience and Sustainability into Civil Engineering Projects. (1st ed.). American Society of Civil Engineers.
Mihelcic, J. R., Zimmerman, J. Beth., & Auer, M. T. (2010). Environmental engineering : fundamentals, sustainability, design. Wiley.
Myers, D. Hobson. (2020). Sustainability in Business A Financial Economics Analysis (1st ed. 2020.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96604-5
Schroedel, S. (2023). The Sustainable Business Model Database: 92 Patterns That Enable Sustainability in Business Model Innovation. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 15(10), 8081-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108081
Braun, D. (2010). Teaching Sustainability Analysis in Electrical Engineering Lab Courses. IEEE Transactions on Education, 53(2), 243–247. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2009.2013940
Moiseev, S. B. (2020). Analysis of the competitive advantage sustainability factors based on the key competencies of an electrical engineering enterprise. Вестник университета, 2, 134–141. https://doi.org/10.26425/1816-4277-2020-2-134-141
Paucar-Caceres, A., & Espinosa, A. (2011). Management science methodologies in environmental management and sustainability: discourses and applications. The Journal of the Operational Research Society, 62(9), 1601–1620. https://doi.org/10.1057/jors.2010.110
Dzwigol, H. (2023). Case Studies in Management Science Research for Digitalization and Sustainability Development. E3S Web of Conferences, 456, 1002-. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202345601002
Jakobsen, M. M., Tørdal, S. S., Klausen, A., Robbersmyr, K. G., & Tyapin, I. (2021). Product development and project-based learning in Mechatronics, in the context of digitization and sustainability. Nordic Journal of STEM Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5324/njsteme.v5i1.3946
Rao, C. S. P. (Ed.). (2019). Mechanical engineering for sustainable development. Apple Academic Press.
Philbin, S. P. (2021). Driving Sustainability through Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 13(12), 6687-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126687
Tuzun, U. (2020). Introduction to systems engineering and sustainability PART I: Student-centred learning for chemical and biological engineers. Education for Chemical Engineers, 31, 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2020.04.004
Sriraman, G., & Raghunathan, S. (2023). A Systems Thinking Approach to Improve Sustainability in Software Engineering—A Grounded Capability Maturity Framework. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 15(11), 8766-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118766

Environment

Kolk, A., & Pinkse, J. (2008). A Perspective on Multinational Enterprises and Climate Change: Learning from “An Inconvenient Truth”? Journal of International Business Studies, 39(8), 1359–1378. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2008.61
Stubbs, W., & Cocklin, C. (2008). Conceptualizing a “Sustainability Business Model.” Organization & Environment, 21(2), 103–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026608318042
Fu, B. (2020). Promoting Geography for Sustainability. Geography and Sustainability, 1(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2020.02.003
Fu, B., Meadows, M. E., & Zhao, W. (2022). Geography in the Anthropocene: Transforming our world for sustainable development. Geography and Sustainability, 3(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2021.12.004
Gugerell, K., Radinger-Peer, V., & Penker, M. (2023). Systemic knowledge integration in transdisciplinary and sustainability transformation research. Futures : The Journal of Policy, Planning and Futures Studies, 150, 103177-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103177
Zeigermann, U. (2021). Knowledge integration in sustainability governance through science-based actor networks. Global Environmental Change, 69, 102314-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102314
Mersal, A. (2016). Sustainable Urban Futures: Environmental Planning for Sustainable Urban Development. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 34, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.005
Spiliotopoulou, M., & Roseland, M. (2022). Sustainability planning, implementation, and assessment in cities: how can productivity enhance these processes? Discover Sustainability, 3(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-022-00081-y

Health

Chilibeck PD. The role of exercise physiology in the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. European journal of applied physiology. 2023;123(5):935-936. doi:10.1007/s00421-023-05180-w
Gruen RL, Elliott JH, Nolan ML, et al. Sustainability science: an integrated approach for health-programme planning. The Lancet. 2008;372(9649):1579-1589. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61659-1
Sherman JD, Thiel C, MacNeill A, et al. The Green Print: Advancement of Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare. Resources, conservation and recycling. 2020;161:104882-. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104882
Tirone, S., & Halpenny, E. (Eds.). (2019). Leisure and Sustainability (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429441615
Maki ZEY, Hassan TH, Helal MY, Saleh MI. Sustainability of Leisure Tourism Events from a Destination Social Responsibility Perspective: Do Attribution Theory Dimensions Matter? International journal of environmental research and public health. 2023;20(6):4847-. doi:10.3390/ijerph20064847
Coles T. Tourism, Recreation and Sustainability: Linking Culture and the Environment. Land use policy. 2002;19(3):269-271. doi:10.1016/S0264-8377(02)00021-2

Mathematics

Asensio MI, Oliver A, Sarrate J. Applied Mathematics for Environmental Problems. Vol 6. 1st ed. Springer International Publishing AG; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-61795-0
Sadollah A, Nasir M, Geem ZW. Sustainability and Optimization: From Conceptual Fundamentals to Applications. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland). 2020;12(5):2027-. doi:10.3390/su12052027
Milano M, O’Sullivan B, Sachenbacher M. Guest Editors’ Introduction: Special Section on Computational Sustainability: Where Computer Science meets Sustainable Development. IEEE transactions on computers. 2014;63(1):88-89. doi:10.1109/TC.2014.4
Van der Velden M, Gjelsten BK, Bergersen GR, Jensen SM. Sustainability Competence in Computer Science Education. Nordic journal of STEM education. 2021;5(1). doi:10.5324/njsteme.v5i1.3953
Vásquez C, Alsina Á, Seckel MJ, García-Alonso I. Integrating sustainability in mathematics education and statistics education: A systematic review. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. 2023;19(11):em2357-. doi:10.29333/ejmste/13809
Reddy, T. L., & Thomson, R. J. (2015). Environmental, social and economic sustainability: implications for actuarial science. Actuaries Institute, 23-27.

Science

Gilbert SF. Evolutionary developmental biology and sustainability: A biology of resilience. Evolution & development. 2021;23(4):273-291. doi:10.1111/ede.12366
Jeronen E, Palmberg I, Yli-Panula E. Teaching Methods in Biology Education and Sustainability Education Including Outdoor Education for Promoting Sustainability—A Literature Review. Education Sciences. 2017;7(1):1-. doi:10.3390/educsci7010001
Sheldon RA. Metrics of Green Chemistry and Sustainability: Past, Present, and Future. ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering. 2018;6(1):32-48. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b03505
Timmer BJJ, Schaufelberger F, Hammarberg D, Franzén J, Ramström O, Dinér P. Simple and Effective Integration of Green Chemistry and Sustainability Education into an Existing Organic Chemistry Course. Journal of chemical education. 2018;95(8):1301-1306. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00720
Schlosser P, Pfirman S. Earth science for sustainability. Nature geoscience. 2012;5(9):587-588. doi:10.1038/ngeo1567
Lazrus H, Maldonado J, Blanchard P, Souza MK, Thomas B, Wildcat D. Culture change to address climate change: Collaborations with Indigenous and Earth sciences for more just, equitable, and sustainable responses to our climate crisis. PLOS climate. 2022;1(2):e0000005-. doi:10.1371/journal.pclm.0000005
Buchan JC, Thiel CL, Steyn A, et al. Addressing the environmental sustainability of eye health-care delivery: a scoping review. The Lancet Planetary health. 2022;6(6):e524-e534. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00074-2
Zhang JH, Ramke J, Mwangi N, et al. Global eye health and the sustainable development goals: protocol for a scoping review. BMJ open. 2020;10(3):e035789-e035789. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035789
Kümmerer Klaus, Hempel Maximilian, eds. Green and Sustainable Pharmacy. 1st ed. 2010. Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2010. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-05199-9
Roy C. The pharmacist’s role in climate change: A call to action. Canadian pharmacists journal. 2021;154(2):74-75. doi:10.1177/1715163521990408
Colfer CJP. Michael R. Dove and Daniel M. Kammen: Science, society and the environment: applying anthropology and physics to sustainability: Routledge, London, 2015, 163 pp, ISBN: 978-0-415-71599-7. Agriculture and Human Values. 2015;32(4):801-802. doi:10.1007/s10460-015-9649-0
How you can make physics sustainable. Nature reviews physics. 2023;5(10):547-547. doi:10.1038/s42254-023-00651-7
Burtscher L, Dalgleish H, Barret D, et al. Forging a sustainable future for astronomy. Nature astronomy. 2021;5(9):857-860. doi:10.1038/s41550-021-01486-x

Industry Associations Connected to Sustainability

Summary: Broken out by faculty, these are industry associations and conferences considering sustainability in the context of various disciplines. These are some examples of how sustainability is being considered in the context of industry.

Purpose: These examples in industry may provide some context for how students will encounter sustainability in their careers after studies, and may inspire relevant connections to curriculum.

If you have an industry association you would like to add to the list, or a link is broken, please contact us.