Ramapo College of New Jersey

School of Social Science and Human Services

 

SUST 605: Foundations - Sustainability Theory
SEC 104
W. 6:30 - 10:00 PM

Ashwani Vasishth
G-131
(201) 684-6616
vasishth@ramapo.edu
http://phobos.ramapo.edu/~vasishth

Office Hours: W. 5:00 - 6:00 PM, SEC 104
or by appointment (x-6616)

Course Description

This course is aimed at imparting a broad and deep knowledge about the discourses of sustainability, as they pertain to the theory and practice of dealing holistically with social, ecological and economic systems, under the conditions described above, and with a particular concern for the well-being of present and future generations. We will review key texts, and seminal works that shape the current state-or-the-art in sustainability discourse, and we will learn to apply this discourse to the practice of sustainability.

Course Objectives

More than anything else, sustainability is about having a certain particular sort of world view--a weltanschaung, if you will. The overarching objective of this course is to explore the elements and the vantage points that inform the development of such a world view.

We will begin by taking a systems view of the world, trying to understand what it means to "think like a mountain," for instance, or an ecosystem. From here we will begin the process of developing an ecosystem approach to making depictions--learning to capture context and consequence with sufficient richness so as to be able to encapsulate the complexity of multiply occurring realities while maintaining a toe hold in the pragmatic world of action and intervention. What we must learn is the ability to take a slice out of the phenomenal world, act upon it, and then reinsert it back into the world without disrupting the natural order of things too drastically. The more elegantly we can do this, the closer we move toward acting sustainably.

Course Structure

The course has a modular structure, of sorts. After the introductory session, where we will get to know one another and our diverse points of view on sustainability thinking, we will spend two weeks immersed in some key literature on developing an ecosystem approach to complexity. Over the next eight weeks, we will meet a diverse set of faculty members, each depicting a particular view of sustainability within the happening world--economics, social activism, political economy, public policy and so on.

Within the modular lecture structure, two hours will be given over to the guest lecture, and the remainder of the time will be devoted to our own discussions and to one presentation each week by one of the students using one or more chapters from the Stibbe book, The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy, coupled with additional research. More details on this presentation (the format and the structure) will be discussed in class.

During this period, we will continue to explore a diverse and broad-based literature on sustainability, and engage in discussions that help us develop a discourse grounded in sustainability practice. Each of the module instructors will bring their own perspective to bear on the material at hand, and you will get the opportunity to engage each of these diverse perspectives in developing your own particular dialectical skills.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

 

Course Requirements

There are four primary graded components to this course. First, each of you will make a presentation to the class, based on two or more chapters chosen from the course text. Second, each of you will present a literature review of at least six peer-reviewed, scholarly articles drawn from the full-text databases to which you will be introduced in class. Third, each of you will maintain a journal of the visiting lecturers modules, which will be submitted at the end of each module segment. Finally, you will each prepare a final paper, on a topic pertaining to sustainability and relevant to the class material. These assignments will be discussed in more detail in class.

Additional Information

This course follows standard Ramapo College policy for Electronic Forms of Communication, Academic Integrity and Students with Disabilities. For details, please refer to the Academic Review Committee portion of the Ramapo College Website at http://ww2.ramapo.edu/facultystaff/fa/arc

Resources

WCED. 1987. Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. New York, United Nations.

UN. 1992. Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

 

 

7 September - 13 September

Course Summary and Introductions

Rowe, J. Stan. 1989. "What on Earth is Environment?" Accessed Saturday, May 26, 2007, at http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/RoWhatEarth.html. Originally published at: The Trumpeter, v6n4 (1989):123-126.

Rittel, Horst W.J. & Melvin M. Webber. 1973. "Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning," Policy Sciences, v4n2 (June 1973):155-169.

Holling, Crawford S. & Michael A. Goldberg. 1971. "Ecology and Planning," Journal of the American Institute of Planners [now Journal of the American Planning Association] v37n4 (July 1971):221-230.

 

14 September - 20 September

An Ecosystem Approach to Complex Systems

Vasishth, Ashwani. 2008. "An Ecosystem Approach to Adaptive Decision Making Under Complexity: Rish Depictions, Multiple Perspectives and Savvy Stakeholders," International Journal of Operations and Quantitative Management, v16n4 (December, 2010): 1-20.

Allen, Timothy F.H. et al. 1993. The Ecosystem Approach: Theory and Ecosystem Integrity. Report to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. International Joint Commission, United States and Canada.

 

21 September - 27 September

Setting World Views, Establishing Perspectives

Steffen, Will & Paul J. Crutzen & John R. McNeill. 2007. The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature?‰Û Ambio v36n8 (December 2007): 614-621.

 

Costanza, Robert. 1999. "Four Visions of the Century Ahead: Will It Be Star Trek, Ecotopia, Big Government, or Mad Max?" The Futurist, v33n2 (1999): 23(6).

 

Kates, Robert. 1996. "Population, Technology and the Human Environment: A Thread Through Time," Daedalus, v125 (1996): 43-70

 

28 September - 4 October

Setting a Context for Sustainability Practice
Carrying Capacity and Localization

Hardin, Garrett. 1965. "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, v162 (13 Dec. 1965): 1243-1248.

Daily, Gretchen C. & Paul R. Ehrlich. 1992. "Population, Sustainability and Earth's Carrying Capacity," BioScience, v42n10 (1992): 761-771.

Cohen, Joel E. 1995. "Population Growth and Earth's Human Carrying Capacity," Science, v269 (21 July, 1995): 341-346.

 

5 October - 11 October

GUEST LECTURE: Rikki Abzug

Mindsets:

Friedman, Milton. The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits.

Barrett, Paul M. "Success Means Never Having to Say YouÕre Sorry,"
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, July4-July 10, 2011.

Blackburn, William. 2007. "Addressing the Confusion about Sustainability: The Typical Executive View," pp. 1-15 in The Sustainability Handbook: The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social, Economic and Environmental Responsibility, 2007, Environmental Law Institute.

Plambeck, Erica L & Lyn Denend. 2008. "The Greening of WAL*MART,"
Stanford Social Innovation Review; Spring 2008; 6, 2.

 

12 October - 18 October

GUEST LECTURE: Rikki Abzug

New Forms, New Opportunities


Rondinelli, Dennis A and Ted London. 2003. ÒHow corporations and environmental groups cooperate: Assessing cross sector alliances and collaborations," Academy of Management Executive, 17(1): 61-77.

CEMP. 1996. "Deja Shoe: Creating the Environmental Footwear Company," University of Michigan.

Gallagher, D.R., 2007, ÒThe Professionalization of SustainabilityÓ. Chapter 11 in Organizations and the Sustainability Mosaic, edited by B. Husted and S. Sharma, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

Artz, Nancy & John Sutherland. Low Profit Limited Liability Companies (L3Cs): Competitiveness Implications.

19 October - 25 October

GUEST LECTURE: Maurie Cohen

Sustainable Consumption

 

26 October - 1 November

GUEST LECTURE: Wayne Hayes

 

2 November - 8 November

GUEST LECTURE: Wayne Hayes

 

9 November - 15 November

GUEST LECTURE: Michael Edelstein

 

16 November - 22 November

GUEST LECTURE: Michael Edelstein

 

23 November - 29 November

THANKSGIVING RECESS

 

30 November - 6 December

GUEST LECTURE: Sangha Padhy

 

7 December - 13 December

GUEST LECTURE: Sangha Padhy

 

14 December - 20 December

GUEST LECTURE: Maurie Cohen

Toward A Green Economy