About this course: This course introduces the academic approach of Sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations. The course focuses on key knowledge areas of sustainability theory and practice, including population, ecosystems, global change, energy, agriculture, water, environmental economics and policy, ethics, and cultural history. This subject is of vital importance, seeking as it does to uncover the principles of the long-term welfare of all the peoples of the planet. As sustainability is a cross-disciplinary field of study, this foundation requires intellectual breadth: as I describe it in the class text, understanding our motivations requires the humanities, measuring the challenges of sustainability requires knowledge of the sciences (both natural and social), and building solutions requires technical insight into systems (such as provided by engineering, planning, and management).

Created by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Taught by: Dr. Jonathan Tomkin, Associate Director
School of Earth, Society and Environment

Commitment	8-10 hours/week
Language	English, Subtitles: Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese (Simplified)
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Orientation and Introduction

In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and the learning environment. The orientation also helps you obtain the technical skills required for the course. In the introduction, we will examine some of the central ideas that und...

5 videos, 5 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Module 1 Quiz

WEEK 2

Population

In this module, we will see how human populations have evolved over time and get a sense of where the next century of change will take us.

5 videos, 1 reading, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Population Interactive Homework

Graded: Module 2 Quiz

WEEK 3

Ecosystems and Climate Change

In this module, we will see that the Earth faces many environmental pressures that result from human exploitation of natural resources. We will also look at the issue of climate change.

8 videos, 1 reading, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Tragedy of the Commons Response

Graded: Climate Change Interactive Homework

Graded: Module 3 Quiz

WEEK 4

Energy

In this module, we will look at energy use. We will also consider what the trend of energy use means for the planet, and how we might transition to a more sustainable pattern of use.

8 videos, 1 reading, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Energy and Society Homework

Graded: Module 4 Quiz

WEEK 5

Water and Agriculture

In this module, we will explore the connection between water and food, and see what will be required to feed the planet over the course of the century.

6 videos, 1 reading, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Module 5 Quiz

WEEK 6

Environmental Policy

In this module, we will examine some of the common tools used by policy-makers, and some of the forces that shape (or misshape) policy.

9 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz

Graded: Environmental Policy Response

Graded: Environmental Policy Examples Homework

Graded: Module 6 Quiz

WEEK 7

Measuring Sustainability

In this module, we will examine what tools are available to measure sustainability. Finally, I will make some predictions on global sustainability for the 21st century, based on the models we have spoken about in this course and the trends that have been obser...

7 videos, 1 reading, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Sustainable Future Response

Graded: Module 7 Quiz

WEEK 8

Conclusion

Welcome to the end of the course! This module has a final, comprehensive quiz that covers all of the topics that we’ve seen in the previous seven modules. You’ll want to be familiar with the goals and objectives, key phrases, concepts, and guiding questions fr...

1 reading

Graded: Introduction to Sustainability Final Quiz

FAQs

How It Works

Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Creators

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.

Pricing

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Access to course materials	Available	Available
Access to graded materials	Not available	Available
Receive a final grade	Not available	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Not available	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 360 ratings

Great introduction to sustainability.

Very informative, course covers many different aspects of sustainability and delivers them in a clear and enjoyable manner and certainly was an eye opener on many levels. I wish course materials and videos were a little more recent than they are though, especially considering the new developments under the Trump administration.

Excellent informative course that is very well narrated by the course lecturer. Fact based and many interesting theories introduced - which provide great context to understanding the subject of sustainability. Really enjoyable!

nice course. interesting themes to sustainability

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