Interested in an SLS Course? We’re excited to announce THREE SLS Foundation courses for the Spring 2018 semester! And don’t forget to check out all our affiliated courses as you’re planning your schedule. Phase I registration opens on October 30th!
Sustainable Communities and Systems Instructors: Beril Toktay, Matthew Realff, Kim Cobb
What does sustainability look like when we take community seriously? This course is an introduction to some fundamental approaches and frameworks to help answer that question and engage our students in creating sustainable systems and communities in their professional and civic lives. Case studies, exercises, and a project will explore applications of these frameworks.
Who should take this course? Even students holding "traditional" jobs or starting their own companies are finding that at some stage in their career, their work responsibilities or sphere of influence include sustainability- and community-related issues, whether it be in design, supply chain, management, engineering, ethics, marketing, community impact, or recruiting, to name a few. Students who are aiming to have sustainability-focused jobs or public service careers will find this course particularly useful. Questions: Contact Beril Toktay, beril.toktay@scheller.gatech.edu.
Sustainable Urban Development Instructor: Bill Drummond
This course introduces the challenges of sustainability as applied to the built environment and the built environment's interconnectivity with the natural environment. It addresses a range of specific sustainability-related issues such as sprawl and smart growth, climate change, motorized and non-motorized transportation, social equity and environmental justice, green architecture, food systems, and community engagement. Students will do substantial background reading, engage in class discussion, and apply their skills to a small-group, real-world project. CP 2233 also serves as a gateway course to the new Sustainable Cities minor.
Who should take this course? This course will be of special interest to at least three types of students: (1) those whose professional work may directly relate to the built environment, including majors in architecture, civil engineering, environmental engineering, public policy, and international affairs; (2) those with a special interest in sustainability and its growing importance in areas such as computing, economics, or management, and; (3) students who wish to become better citizens by developing a deeper understanding and basis for action regarding one of the most important challenges facing our country and world.
Business Decisions for Sustainability and Shared Value Instructor: Ravi Subramanian
At the heart of the concept of “business sustainability and shared value” are interconnections among the economic, environmental, and societal dimensions of business performance. This course uses the 2017 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as frameworks to establish the role of fundamental human needs (food, water, shelter, energy, wages, and community) in shaping long-term business value and overall economic progress. The course is multidisciplinary, discussion oriented, and experiential, and uses a variety of pedagogical approaches such as lectures on key concepts, cases, videos, talks by invited speakers, and site visits.