SPRING 2014
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, HOSPITALITY, AND TOURISM
STH 101-01: INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
INSTRUCTOR
CLASS SCHEDULE
CLASSROOM
OFFICE
OFFICE HOURS
E-MAIL
PHONE
Dr. Sevil Sönmez
Tuesdays, Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Bryan 202
476 Bryan
Tuesdays-Thursdays, 10:30-11:30
sesonmez@uncg.edu
336-334-4471
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainable
development; introduces sustainable development concepts and challenges; and prepares
students for the application of these concepts in functional business topics.
CREDITS/PREREQUISITES: This is a 3-credit course; there are no prerequisites.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be
able to:
1. Articulate concepts, definitions, purpose, history, and theories of sustainable development.
2. Discuss sustainable development as a local to global issue.
3. Discuss how values, beliefs, norms, behavior, perceptions, and knowledge impact
development.
4. Use approaches and insights from geography, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and
political science to analyze and address real world problems associated with unsustainable
development.
5. Apply system dynamics approaches to study links between human systems and natural
systems and how changes in any part of any system has multiple consequences.
6. Recognize the social justice components of sustainable choices and differences that
characterize unsustainable and sustainable forms of development.
7. Identify major stakeholders and institutions that drive change toward sustainable
development.
8. Recognize opportunities for making the business case for sustainable development.
REQUIRED READINGS:
You will be reading various sections, chapters, pages from the readings listed below (all of them
are on BlackBoard – under Reading Materials in Course Documents)
1. Beyond Economic Growth: An Introduction to Sustainable Development
2. Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation
3. Our Common Future (the Brundtland Report)
4. Back to Our Common Future: Sustainable Development in the 21st Century Project
5. Human Development Report 2013: The Rise of the South
6. World Development Indicators 2012
7. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013
8. Climate Change Information Kit
9. Triple Bottom Line: What Is it and How Does it Work?
10. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Development
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11. UN Sustainable Development – Agenda 21
12. Cannibals with Forks (folder has all chapters)
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
 Aslam Uqaili, M. and K. Harijan (2012). Energy, Environment, and Sustainable
Development. New York, NY: Springer.
 Carson, R. (2002). Silent Spring. New York, NY: First Mariner Books.
 Ewards, A.R. (2005). The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. BC,
Canada: New Society Publishers.
 McIntyre, J.R., Ivanaj, S., and V. Ivanaj (2012). Multinational Enterprises and the Challenge
of Sustainable Development. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishers.
 Sacquet, A.M. (2005). World Atlas of Sustainable Development: Economic, Social, and
Environmental Data. London, England: Anthem Press.
 Worldwatch Institute (2010). State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures from
Consumerism to Sustainability. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
USEFUL WEBSITES
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United Nations (www.un.org)
United Nations Development Program
(www.undp.org)
UNICEF (www.unicef.org)
USAID (http://www.usaid.gov/partnershipopportunities/ngo)
International Monetary Fund (www.imf.org)
World Bank (www.worldbank.org)\
World Health Organization
(www.who.int/en)
Global Impact (http://charity.org)
Global Issues (www.globalissues.org)
Poverty (www.poverty.com)
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White House on Poverty
(www.whitehouse.gov/issues/poverty)International
Organization for Migration (www.iom.int)
International Labor Organization (www.ilo.org)
European Commission (http://ec.europa.eu)
Library of Congress on International Organizations and
Economic Development Resources
(www.loc.gov/rr/business/BERA/issue7/organizations.html)
Action Against Hunger (www.aah-usa.org)
CARE (www.careusa.org)
Relief International (www.ri.org)
Overseas Development Institute (www.odi.org.uk) List of
International Aid and Development Organizations
(https://www.devex.com/en/organizations)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Your final grade will be determined by how well you fulfill course
requirements. Your grade will be based on:
1. Tests (300 points): You will have three tests, each worth 100 points. Material will cover
your readings, class lectures and discussions, and class activities and may be based on
textbook, additional readings, websites, films, or videos we watch. Format will be
multiple-choice and true/false.
2. Case Study (50 points): You will work in class on a case study worth 50 points. The
case will be given to students ahead of time so that they can study and prepare. The
actual discussion of the case will take place in teams during a class period.
3. Group Project (100 points): You will work in teams. Details of the project will be
provided.
4. Presentation (50 points): You will present the results of your group project to the rest of
class in a professional manner, using audiovisual aids, graphs, etc.
Directions for each assignment will be posted on Blackboard, and will be thoroughly discussed in class.
In addition, rubrics and other evaluative instruments will be posted on Blackboard and discussed in class.
Thus, students will know exactly what they are to accomplish in this class as well as how
their grade will be determined.
You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. To receive credit for the course, you must
earn a letter grade of D- or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams,
assignments, discussion postings, etc.). Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade.
Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
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STUDENTS ARE REQUESTED TO BRING TO CLASS THEIR
LAPTOPS OR TABLETS ON THOSE DAYS THAT WE WILL
LOOK AT VARIOUS WEBSITES DURING CLASS TIME
485-500
470-484
450-469
435-449
415-434
400-409
EVALUATION/GRADING SCALE
97-100% A+
385-399
77-79%
94-96% A
370-384
74-76%
90-93% A350-369
70-73%
87-89% B+
335-349
67-69%
83-86% B
315-334
63-66%
80-82% B300-314
60-62%
299 or less
<59%
C+
C
CD+
D
DF
COURSE OUTLINE:
REQUIRED READINGS/VIDEOS
WK
1
DATE
1/14
1/16
2
1/21, 1/23
TOPICS (*)
Introduction of course and topics
(sustainable development, triplebottom line)
 Story of Stuff (23 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/v/9Gorqro
igqM?version=3&hl=en_US
Human, economic, and environmental
development
Overview of the developed and
developing worlds
 Joel Cohen (Floating University, 43
min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
PZrmYp4USWo
Economic indicators (GDP, GNI,
external debt, poverty,
labor/unemployment)
 Richard Wilkinson, 17 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
cZ7LzE3u7Bw
Environmental indicators (CO2
emissions, forest area, biodiversity,
deforestation, pollution)
 Johan Rockstrom (TED Talk, 18
min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
RgqtrlixYR4
 Kitty van der Heijden (TED Talk,
19 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
4sJ-uixn7Jg
(READ AND/OR WATCH BEFORE COMING TO CLASS):
WATCH:
Guns, Germs, and Steel (2005), Part 1 (Out of Eden) (54
min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLJfZOyFpZo
Guns, Germs, and Steel (2005), Part 2 (Conquest) (54 min):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgYZ6gfqslQ
Guns, Germs, and Steel (2005), Part 3 (Into the Tropics)
(54 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94olOX-JVRQ
READ: Chapters 1-4, 15 Beyond Economic Growth
(BlackBoard)
1. “What is Development?” (pp. 7-11)
2. “Comparing Levels of Development” (pp. 12-16)
3. “World Population Growth” (pp. 17-22)
4. “Economic Growth Rates” (pp. 23-27)
5. “Composite Indicators of Development” (pp. 110112)
BROWSE: World Development Indicators 2012
(BlackBoard)
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator
http://www.globalissues.org/issue
http://www.worldbank.org/
WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozDskXxmdDI
Social indicators (education, life
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3
4
5
1/28, 1/30
2/4, 2/6
2/11
expectancy, child mortality, birth
rate/population, health/disease, gender
equity)
 Hans Rosling (TED Talk, 10 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f
TznEIZRkLg
Effects of globalization
Stakeholders: UN, World Bank, IMF,
NGOs, private/public sectors, citizens,
countries (developed, developing)
Test 1
2/13
Current economic development
(economic disparities, globalization)
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2/18, 2/20
7
2/25, 2/27
Current economic development
(cont’d) and
Current environmental issues
(biodiversity, energy/resource
challenges, climate change)
Current environmental issues (cont’d)
and
Current human development (poverty
and social disparities (health,
education, human/ women’s/ children’s
rights)
READ: Chapters 12-13, Beyond Economic Growth
(BlackBoard)
1. “Globalization: International Trade and Migration”
(pp. 83-94)
2. “Globalization: Foreign Investment and Foreign Aid”
(pp. 95-101)
BROWSE:
 http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissue
s/a/globalization.htm
READ: NGOs and Development (BlackBoard)
1. “Introduction” (pp. 1-23)
2. “Understanding Development NGOs in Historical
Context” (pp. 24-46)
3. “NGOs and Development” (pp. 71-90)
BROWSE:
 http://www.unrol.org/article.aspx?article_id=23
 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=330
 http://www.who.int/apoc/about/structure/ngdo/en/
 http://www.iisd.org/business/ngo/roles.aspx
 http://www.worldbank.org/
 www.un.org/en/development
 http://www.imf.org/external/about.htm
All material covered since
start of class
READ: Chapter 11, Beyond Economic Growth (BlackBoard)
“Public and Private Enterprises: Finding the Right Mix” (pp.
76-82)
READ: Chapters 9 Beyond Economic Growth (BlackBoard)
1. “Industrialization and Postindustrialization” (pp. 6368)
READ: Chapters 10, 14, Beyond Economic Growth
(BlackBoard)
1. “Urban Air Pollution” (pp. 69-75)
2. “The Risk of Global Climate Change” (pp. 102-109)
BROWSE: “Biodiversity, Species Loss, and Ecosystem
Function” (Section 4.3, pp. 126-134, Biodiversity) in
Sustainability: Comprehensive Foundation (BlackBoard)
 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html
 http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents
 http://www.c2es.org
 http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment
BROWSE: Human Development Report: 2013
(BlackBoard)
Millennium Development Goals Report 2013 (BlackBoard)
4
8
3/4
9
10
(last day
to drop
class:
3/7/14)
3/6
3/11-13
3/18, 3/20
11
3/25, 3/27
12
4/1, 4/3
13
4/8
4/10
Current human development (cont’d)
Test 2
Sustainable development: economic
objectives
Sustainable development:
environmental objectives
Sustainable development: social
objectives
Test 3
In-class case activity
READ:
Chapters 5-6, Beyond Economic Growth (BlackBoard)
1. Income Inequality (pp. 28-32)
2. Poverty and Hunger (pp. 33-42)
READ: Chapters 7-8, Beyond Economic Growth
(BlackBoard)
1. Education (pp. 43-52)
2. Health and Longevity (pp. 53-62)
All material covered since Test 1
SPRING BREAK
READ: Chapters 16, Beyond Economic Growth
(BlackBoard)
1. Indicators of Development Sustainability (pp. 113122)
2. Development Goals and Strategies (pp. 123-130)
READ: “Sustainability and Business” (Section 9.4, pp. 484489) in Sustainability Comprehensive Foundation
(BlackBoard)
READ: Back to our Common Future (BlackBoard)
READ: “Sustainability: Ethics, Culture, and History”
(Chapter 10, pp. 490-524) in Sustainability Comprehensive
Foundation (BlackBoard)
BROWSE:
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=104&language
_id=1&erc_doc_id=445&category_id=24&category_type
=3&group=
 Sustainable Human Development Index (post-2015):
http://www.ssfindex.com/a-sustainable-humandevelopment-index-in-the-post-2015-era/
 Sustainable Development (World Bank):
http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/sd.html
All material covered since Test 2
CASE STUDY: “Electronic Waste and Extended Producer
Responsibility” (Section 7.3, pp. 279-281) in Sustainability
Comprehensive Foundation) (BlackBoard)
Teams 1, 2, 3, 4
4/15, 4/17  Presentations
4/22, 4/24
(last day
Teams 5, 6, 7, 8
 Presentations
of class)
(*) Course material will be adjusted according to the flow of material in the class. We may spend more time on
some issues and less time on others, depending on student need. A number of class periods will be partially
turned into workshops to apply course material to course projects.
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COURSE POLICIES:
1. Academic Integrity: Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to UNCG’s
Academic Integrity Policy on all assignments and examinations
(http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete).
2. Attendance/Participation/Preparation: Regular attendance, meaningful participation,
and being prepared for class (having completed readings prior to class) are all expected.
Attendance will not be taken, however, if you miss class, you will miss opportunities to get
higher points on class activities (these cannot be made up). Further, if you miss class, it is
your responsibility to obtain lecture notes from fellow students.
3. Lateness: Arriving late to class or leaving early are inconsiderate to both your professor
and classmates because it is distracting and unprofessional. Please be punctual.
4. Cellphones/Laptops: Students are expected to switch off their phones prior to entering
the classroom. A variety of rings, bells, and whistles are an unnecessary distraction. You
may keep your phone on only if you are expecting to receive an emergency call, but in this
case, please put your phone on “vibrate.” Sending/receiving text messages and surfing the
‘Net during class are not acceptable. Laptops may be used only for course-related
purposes.
5. Email communication: When you email me, please use “STH-101-01 – your last name”
in the subject heading and use proper email etiquette when addressing/signing your
messages. Unsigned/unclear emails will not receive replies.
6. Special needs: Should you have special needs related to a qualified/certified disability,
please notify me by the end of the 2nd week of classes so that arrangements can be made
to meet those needs.
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