Sustainability Option

The Sustainability Option offers students an opportunity to:

  1. learn how to consider and integrate issues related to environmental resilience, community well-being and economic prosperity; and
  2. engage in interdisciplinary critical analysis and thinking by connecting courses across departments and faculties.

Completion of the option requirements will result in a "Sustainability Option" designation on the student transcript.

The Sustainability Option consists of a minimum of 4.0 credits. Students must complete three required core courses (1.5 credits) and five elective courses (2.5 credits) selected from the following Sustainability themes (Science or Issues).

A. Required Core Courses (1.5 credits)
ES110 - Environment, Sustainability and Society
ES296 - Introduction to Sustainability
ES297 - Climate Change and Collective Action

B. Elective Sustainability Themes (2.5 credits)
(i) Science Theme
BI206 - Ecology
BI266 - Life on Earth: Plants
BI300 - Environmental Toxicology
BI306 - Global Biogeography and Conservation Biology
BI309 - Population Ecology
BI405 - Community Ecology
CH233 - Environmental Atmospheric Chemistry
CH234 - Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
GG232 - Landscapes of the Great Lakes Basin
GG281 - Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
GG282 - Geomorphology and Soils
GG336 - Coastal Processes and Landforms
GG381 - Hydrology
GG383 - Sedimentation
GG384 - Glacial Processes and Landforms
GG385 - Natural Environments
GG481 - Seminar on Cold Regions  

(ii) Issues Theme
CMEG305* - Semester in Community Engagement
EC238 - Environmental Economics
EC318 - Natural Resource Economics
ES496 - Theory and Practice of Sustainability
GESC290 - Environmental Concepts and Approaches
GESC362 - Global Food Systems
GESC391 - Wildlife and Rural Land Resources Management
GESC398 - Parks and Protected Areas
GG395 - The World's Problem Environments
GESC465* - Capstone Urban Sustainability Project
GS351 - Nature, Culture and Development
HI377 - Science and Environment in Canadian History
HI474* - Research Seminar on Nature and Environment in Canadian History
PO316 - Canadian Environmental Policy
PP224 - Philosophy and the Environment
PP247 - Business Ethics
SY406 - Environmental Sociology
UU101 - Perspectives on Sustainability

Additional Information
 
Program Notes

  1. In order to graduate with the option, a GPA of 6.00 in the courses included in the Sustainability Option is required.
  2. At least 2.0 of the required 4.0 credits in the option must be completed at Wilfrid Laurier University.
  3. Students in majors other than Environmental Studies must complete the 2.5 credits from the Sustainability Electives Themes outside of their major of study. Environmental Studies Majors can declare this option by selecting 4.0 credits from the electives lists outside of Geography and Environmental Studies (GG, ES, GESC).
  4. Students completing this option cannot declare an Environmental Studies minor.
  5. When choosing elective courses, please keep in mind that many of these courses have prerequisites. While the prerequisites may be waived by the program or department administering the course, it is the responsibility of the student to make these arrangements as needed.