University of Wisconsin–Madison

Add sustainability to your spring schedule

Nov. 4, 2014 | Office of Sustainability staff With spring 2015 enrollment right around the corner, there are many ways to build sustainability into your course schedule. Do you: Need to fill a breadth requirement? Sustainability is inherently interdisciplinary and you can probably find a sustainability-related course to fill the breadth requirement you need. For example: Natural Science
  • Environmental Studies 101: Forum on the environment
  • Environmental Studies 126: Principles of environmental science
  • Environmental Studies 250: Introduction to sustainability science
Social Science
  • Consumer Science 360: Sustainable and socially just consumption
  • Environmental Studies 101: Forum on the environment
  • Geography 139: Resources and people
Physical Science
  • Environmental Studies 126: Principles of environmental science
  • Environmental Studies 250: Introduction to sustainability science
See below for course descriptions. Want to build your resume with marketable expertise? Sustainability Certificate This new 12-credit certificate offers the chance to pursue interests that complement nearly any major field, broaden your perspective and learn practical, marketable skills to tackle complex problems and make a difference in your life, career and community. Many courses for the certificate are offered in spring 2015.
  • Consumer Science 360: Sustainable and socially just consumption (MW 3:30-4:20 p.m. + discussion) How do consumer choices impact workers and the environment? And how do policy and globalization drive consumer choices?
  • Environmental Studies 101: Forum on the environment (R 3:30-5:25 p.m.) Learn about historical and contemporary environmental impacts of humans on the biosphere.
  • Environmental Studies 126: Principles of environmental science (TR 1-2:15 p.m. + lab) Ask (and answer!) questions about sustainability by exploring energy, food and waste on the UW–Madison campus: What is the carbon footprint of a meal at Union South? What’s in our trash and where does it go? (Read student testimonial)
  • Environmental Studies 250: Introduction to sustainability science (F 1:20-3:50 p.m.) How do people study sustainability? Learn about methods including risk assessment, life-cycle assessment and modeling in the context of both natural and engineered systems.
  • Environmental Studies 602: Sustainability in practice capstone (TR 11 a.m.-12:55 p.m. + discussion) Working in an interdisciplinary team, apply the principles of sustainability to address an operational challenge on the UW–Madison campus. (Read student testimonials)
  • Geography 139: Resources and people (MW 12:05-12:55 p.m. + discussion) Consider issues linked to the relationships between people and the Earth’s resources, such as environmental ethics, political economy, resource scarcity and environmental justice.
See the spring course guide for more details. Want to join a community of learners? First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs) FIGs help freshmen build a community of peers exploring the same topics through a series of shared classes. Sustainability-related spring FIGs include:
  • What does the fox say? Sustainability from a non-human perspective Students will look at the UW–Madison campus differently after exploring it as an urban wildlife habitat and through a series of operational sustainability decisions.
  • Leadership in a global economy Students will explore leadership in the context of a global business environment and engage in self-reflection to determine their own leadership styles and values.
  • Social science of climate change These courses hone in on the critical human component of climate change and the importance of social factors in complex environmental problems.
Community and Environmental Scholars Program (CESP) Have you ever wondered how your passion for the environment fits into the larger picture? CESP connects environmentalists with their community through service-learning projects with local organizations. Members of CESP meet once a week for a 1-credit seminar to learn how to get involved with such organizations, get professional development training, and connect with other like-minded community scholars in an informal setting. As an extra benefit, members also have the opportunity to apply for up to $8,000 in scholarships from CESP.