Course

Perspectives on Sustainability

Faculty
Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
Interdisciplinary HSS
Course code
IDST 1102
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course critically examines the concept of sustainability through a range of interdisciplinary and historical perspectives. Students will explore the emergence of global sustainability frameworks and the role of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in shaping contemporary environmental and socio-economic policy. The course investigates both theoretical foundations and applied dimensions of sustainability across global, regional, and local contexts. Key thematic areas include environmental sustainability, Indigenous approaches and knowledge systems, urban sustainability and planning, sustainable agriculture and food systems, economic sustainability, and the ethical, social, and community dimensions of sustainable development. Through the analysis of diverse case studies, students will critically assess contemporary sustainability challenges and explore a range of policy approaches, community-based initiatives, and innovative practices that seek to advance more sustainable and equitable futures.
Course content
  1. Course Introduction
    • Sustainability: Conceptual framework
    • Circles of sustainability
    • UN Sustainable Development Goals and Indicators
    • Sustainability assessment
  2. Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability
    • Indigenous ways of knowing; Indigenous knowledge and knowledge systems
    • Two-eyed Seeing, Braiding, and Weaving
    • Indigenous resource management systems
  3. Environmental Sustainability
    • Ecological footprint
    • Biodiversity
    • Climate change
    • Energy
    • Pollution
    • Water
  4. Urban Sustainability
    • Urbanization processes
    • Nature in the city
    • Green infrastructure
    • Energy, waste management and transportation
  5. Agriculture and Food Sustainability
    • Agricultural systems
    • Globalization; food as a commodity
    • Sustainable agriculture and farming methods; local agriculture
  6. Economic Sustainability
    • Traditional versus alternative approaches and indicators
    • Circular economy and supply chains
    • Income disparities
  7. Ethics, Social, and Community Sustainability
    • Intergenerational equity
    • Ethical decision-making
    • Social justice
    • Environmental stewardship
    • Public involvement
  8. Governance for Sustainability
    • Sustainability policies
    • Accountability and transparency in decision making
    • Collaboration and coordination

9. Future of Sustainability

    • Key principles and lessons learned
    • Future of sustainability
Learning activities

In this course, students will engage in a variety of activities such as lectures, guest speakers, videos, small and large group discussion, field experiences, case studies, and team-based work.

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the course outline. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.

Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

An example of an evaluation scheme would be:

In-class exercises                    10%

Field assignments                    20%

Term Projects                          25%

Exams                                    40%

Contribution/Participation           5%

Total                                      100%

 

This is a letter-graded course.

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. Identify and describe the key components of sustainability including the historical context, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and sustainability indicators
  2. Describe various Indigenous approaches and forms of knowledge regarding sustainability
  3. Illustrate core components of environmental sustainability at global, regional, and local scales
  4. Explain the challenges and potential solutions for sustainability in urban regions
  5. Describe sustainability issues and potential solutions associated with agriculture and food production at global and local scales
  6. Critically assess traditional and alternative approaches to economic sustainability such as Gross National Product (GNP), Gross National Income (GNI), and Human Development Index (HDI), as well as circular economy approaches
  7. Analyze ethical approaches to sustainability including intergenerational equity and ethical decision making
Textbook materials

A selection of texts, reports, and other materials will be used, such as: 

Beatley, Timothy. 2010. Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature into Urban Design and Planning. Island Press.

 

Booth, A.L. 2017. “Northern environmental justice: A case study of place, Indigenous peoples and industrial development in northeastern British Columbia, Canada”, Case Studies in the Environment: 1-19.

 

James, P. 2015. Urban Sustainability in Theory and Practice – Circles of Sustainability

Earthscan/Routledge

 

McGregor, D. 2021. “Indigenous knowledge systems in Environmental governance in Canada”. KULA: knowledge Creation, Dissemination and Preservation Studies 5, 1.

 

Munro, Tai. 2023. Introduction to Sustainability. 4th Edition. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

Robertson, Margaret. 2026. Sustainability Principles and Practice. 4th Edition. Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group

 

Roorda, N. 2025. Fundamentals of Sustainable Development. Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.

 

United Nations. 2015. Sustainable Development Goals.

 

United Nations. 2023. Global Sustainable Development Report.

 

United Nations. 2024. Pact For The Future. Summit for the Future.

 

World Wildlife Fund. 2025. Living Planet Report for Canada.

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for IDST 1102
Langara College (LANG) LANG ENVS 1XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU GEOG 1XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU ENST 1XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU ENVS 1XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV ARTS_V 1st (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV GEOG 1XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC ES 1XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

There are no course offerings this semester.