“Terps leave small footprints” with Sustainability Studies
With students gravitating toward environmentally focused careers, the relatively young sustainability studies minor has quickly become one of the largest on the campus.
With 213 students enrolled in the program as of this semester’s add/drop period, the minor is second in size only to human development, which holds 217 students. Created in January 2012, the sustainability studies minor was meant to enhance the university’s commitment to becoming a model in the field, said academic adviser Jess Buckley. With a growing number of students clamoring for experience in the field on top of their other degrees, the program focuses on ways to creatively address today’s most pressing environmental issues.
Students may apply to sustainability studies any time, as long as they declare their minor at least a year before graduation as per university policy, Buckley said.
New students email to ask about the minor every week, she added.
The program includes one required course, AGNR/PUAF 301: Sustainability, as well as one approved course in each of three areas: science and technology, policy and institutions and social and human dimensions. Students can fill the remaining three required credits with an additional approved course, an internship or an approved study abroad experience.
The minor’s flexibility is part of what makes it so attractive to students, as they can choose from more than 80 approved classes in a wide array of topics, said Andrea Doukakis, a junior individual studies major who was the first student to enroll in sustainability studies but dropped it to create her own major in environmental sustainability.
The minor is a great option for students in any major because the variety of classes offered allows them to choose those fitting their personal interests, she said.
“It’s not cookie-cutter at all. It’s very unique,” Doukakis said. “You’re able to take your own direction.”
Sustainability is rapidly becoming an integral part of almost every field, so the minor suitably complements any major, said Erin Omahen, a sophomore government and politics major enrolled in the minor. She’s also interested in urban development and education, and hopes to use what she learns in her sustainability studies classes to integrate environmental education into inner city school curricula.
The minor teaches students to apply what they learn to real-world issues, said Jen Shaffer, an anthropology professor who teaches courses about the relationship between climate change, humanity and culture.
“It helps students understand the complex interactions they’re a part of and how they can make a difference,” she said.
The minor gained popularity so quickly because students generally care about what is happening to the environment and how it will affect people’s quality of life in the future, Shaffer said. They don’t want to live in an unhealthy world where clean air, water and food are scarce.
“Students are really concerned about their futures,” Shaffer said. “This is one way to think about and develop those skills so they can work on making the world a better place.”
Because sustainability is an important global issue, and such a prominent one on the campus, many believe that sustainability education should be included in general education requirements.
Doukakis said she plans to participate in a work group next semester to push the university to require all students to take one or two classes in sustainability.
“One of the biggest issues we have in the U.S. is that people don’t really know what sustainability is,” Doukakis said. “It’s becoming so prevalent on our campus. People need to realize what their part is.”
Learning about sustainability will help students participate more effectively in the university’s own efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Doukakis said.
Additionally, it will bring unity to the environmental movement and benefit students in their future careers, Shaffer said.
“If you think about all the different issues going on in the world, we’re all going to have to face them together,” she said. “Things you learn about sustainability now will take you through your whole life. It’s a way of thinking and a way of doing that has important repercussions long after graduation.”
