Required of and open only to Earth Systems co-terminal MS and MA students. There are a multitude of ways to think about and define sustainability. Definitions of sustainability are determined by intersecting factors including power dynamics, economics, scientific discovery, patterns of climate migration, advances in engineering, social and political inequality. What hopes, fears, and tradeoffs are related to 'sustainability'? This course will provide space for in-depth reading and discussion related to the central question of the course - What does sustainability mean? Students will read contemporary literature by authors grappling with questions related to sustainability in various forms. Students are expected to lead class discussions on the readings for the course. Guest speakers will engage students by discussing how they apply their own notions of sustainability to their work.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Required of and open only to Earth Systems co-terminal MS and MA students. There are a multitude of ways to think about and define sustainability. Definitions of sustainability are determined by intersecting factors including power dynamics, economics, scientific discovery, patterns of climate migration, advances in engineering, social and political inequality. What hopes, fears, and tradeoffs are related to 'sustainability'? This course will provide space for in-depth reading and discussion related to the central question of the course - What does sustainability mean? Students will read contemporary literature by authors grappling with questions related to sustainability in various forms. Students are expected to lead class discussions on the readings for the course. Guest speakers will engage students by discussing how they apply their own notions of sustainability to their work.
Offered in Autumn 2026, Winter 2027 at Stanford University.