Sustainability Education at Grand Valley
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Current Options:

1. You can take a variety of courses within the curriculum that also count towards General Education Credit, Theme credit, or may be required within your major. For a list of the more than 60 sustainability-related courses, click here.
2. You can even tailor a major to include sustainability as the primary component. The Liberal Studies major allows one to create a major that does not exist. See an example of a sustainability-Liberal Studies major below:
3. Environmental Studies Minor: for more information contact Elena Lioubimtseva: lioubime@gvsu.edu. For minor requirements and courses click here.
   

Upcoming Options:

1. Sustainability- Related Themes. Per Grand Valley's General Education requirements, each student is required to select a series of classes, referred to as Themes. Each theme gives students a taste of a particular subject. Some sustainability- related themes are Cities, Earth and Environment, Global Change, Health, Wellness and Healing, and Ethics.
   
2. Sustainability- Related Certificates. Endorsed by the student senate, faculty are in discussions to work on options for certificates (similar to a minor) in possible areas ranging from Green Science, Energy, Business and urban sustainability. Timeline... Fall 2009 for initial offerings
   
3. LIB 340. Is freedom really life without external social constraints, or is it unattainable unless we accept some amount of societal control over our actions? This course reviews several utopias and dystopias-some real, some fictional-to probe the proper balance between freedom and both formal and informal means of social control. Part of Freedom and Social Control theme. A section is being offered Winter 2009, and will focus on Sustainability related topics and issues.

Want to major?

Liberal Studies:  Sustainability Emphasis Study Plan Samples

Listed below are sample course groupings that you may find helpful as examples and starting points in designing your Liberal Studies Emphasis in sustainability. Students who wish to major in Liberal Studies with a sustainability emphasis are encouraged to take a variety of courses from each of the three focus areas listed below to obtain a more diverse and well-rounded understanding of sustainability. Students who are interested primarily in one specific area of focus, however, may prefer to take the majority of their electives from one of the three defined concentration areas listed below.

Sustainability: Social, Environmental, and Economic Foundations
Sustainability:  The following is a sample of courses that may be chosen from for a generally well-rounded emphasis in sustainability. SOC 280 Social Problems ANT 340 Culture and Environment SOC 385 Social Class Inequality SS 384 Social Inequalities SW 300 Pluralism in American Society BIO 105 Environmental Science BIO 338 Environmental Ethics ECO 345 Environmental and Resource Economics ECO 210 Introductory Macroeconomics MGT 339 Business and Society MGT 340 Business, Social Change and Ethics GPY412 Global Environmental Change
The following lists provides a sample of additional courses that may be elected for a general emphasis or for one focusing more on a particular concentration.
Society BIO 311 Biological Basis of Society  GPY220 Cultural Geography GPY 309 City and Regional Planning SOC 280 Social Problems SOC 381 Class, Race and Gender SOC 382 Minority and Ethnic Relations SOC 385 Social Class Inequality.  SS 384 Social Inequalities SW 300 Pluralism in American Society PHI 320 Social/Political Philosophy PLS 231 Classical Political Thought PLS 232 Modern Political Thought	Environment ANT 340 Culture and Environment BIO 105 Environmental Science BIO 338 Environmental Ethics ECO 345 Environmental and Resource Economics GEO 300 Geology and the Environment GPY412 Global Environmental Change LIB 330 Idea of Nature NRM 330 Environmental Pollution	Economic BUS 201 Legal Environment for Business ECO 210 Introductory Macroeconomics ECO 345 Environmental and Resource Economics ECO 349 Emerging Markets Issues ECO 369 International Economic Issues ECO 435 Urban Economics MGT 339 Business and Society MGT 340 Business, Social Change and Ethics MGT 355 The Diversified Workforce

“Why Liberal Studies?”
A degree in Liberal Studies allows you to focus on your talents and areas of interest to create a study plan that will help you gain the knowledge and skills that are relevant to your future personal and career goals. With its foundation in, and focus on the inter-relatedness of different ideas and the value it places on a diverse and multi-disciplinary education, Liberal Studies provides the perfect environment for students who wish to learn about sustainability.

To Learn More about a Liberal Studies Major see:
http://www.gvsu.edu/liberalstudies/

 

Want to minor in Environmental Studies?

Environmental Studies Minor Requirements:
At least 21 credits including the following:
Required: ENS 201: Introduction to Environmental Studies and Sustainability (3 credits)
          and  ENS 401: Environmental Problem Solving (3 credits)

One course from each of the following categories (at least 9 credits):
A. Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Environment
     ANT 340-Culture and Environment
     BIO 338- Environmental Ethics
     ENG 382- Nature Writing
     GPY 220- Cultural Geography
     GPY 410- Landscape Analysis
     HST 320- American Indians
     HST 323- Michigan History
     HST 327- History of American Urban History
     LIB 330- The Idea of Nature
     PSY 362- Environmental Psychology

B. Physical and Life Science Perspectives on Environment
     BIO 105- Environmental Science
     BIO 107- Great Lakes and Other Water Resources
     BIO 215- General Ecology
     BIO 310- Biological Diversity of the Americas
     BIO 470- Conservation Biology
     CHM 321- Environmental Chemistry
     CHM 311- Green Chemistry and Industrial Processes
     CHM 322- Environmental Chemical Analysis
     EGR 360- Thermodynamics
     GEO 100- Environmental Geology
     GEO 105- Living with the Great Lakes
     GEO 111- Exploring the Earth
     GEO 300- Geology and the Environment
     GPY 100- Physical Geography
     GPY 412- Global Environmental Change
     NRM 330- Environmental Pollution
     OSH 414- Environmental Safety and Health Regulations

C. Economic and Political Perspectives on Environment
     BIO 319- Global Agricultural Sustainability
     ECO 345- Environmental and Resource Economics
     ECO 435- Urban Economics
     GPY 335- Geographic Patterns-Global Development
     GPY 345- Geography of the Great Lakes Region
     GPY 353- Geography of Canada and the United States
     HTM 175- International Food and Culture
     HTM 268- Adventure Tourism
     NRM 150- Introduction to Natural Resources
     NRM 420- Wildland Recreation Management
     NRM 451- Natural Resource Policy
     PA 307- Local Politics and Administration
     PA 360- Voluntarism and the Non-Profit Sector
     PLS 314- International Law
     SS 324- Urbanization

Also, two additional upper-level electives from two different disciplines from the list of courses listed above (at least 6 credits).

LIB 491: Sustainability in Practice info:
To all LIB majors: Please consider the attached flyer for LIB 491: Sustainability in Practice, as an opportunity to fulfill your LIB practicum requirement while engaged in thoughtful and meaningful exploration of the concept and practice of sustainability. Students in this course engage in community work centered on the practice of sustainability, while meeting in a small class setting to discuss readings and reflect on community experience.
This is also open to non-LIB majors!

Currently, we are looking for students interested in registering for Fall 09. Please contact Melissa Baker-Boosamra for more information, or if you would like to register.

Melissa Baker-Boosamra
Affiliate Professor
238 Lake Ontario Hall
Liberal Studies Department
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI  49401
(616) 331-8120
bakerbom@gvsu.edu



 For more information, please contact:

Judy Whipps
Director of Liberal Studies, regarding the Liberal Studies major with an emphasis in sustainability:
Email: whippsj@gvsu.edu
Phone: (616) 331-3624

Elena Lioubimtseva
Associate Professor of Geography and Planning, regarding the environmental studies minor:
Email: lioubime@gvsu.edu
Web: http://www4.gvsu.edu/lioubime
Phone: (616) 331-2874

Steve Glass
Associate Dean College of Interdisciplinary Studies, regarding the development of sustainability certificates in renewable resources, business, urban sustainability, and green science:
Email: glassst@gvsu.edu
Phone: (616) 331-8126

Carol Griffin
Director of General Education, regarding specific sustainability-related themes, such as earth and the environment; cities; global change; health, wellness, and helaing; ethics, etc.
Email: griffin@gvsu.edu
Phone: (616) 331-3104