Facets of Sustainability
IDS 2154 Sec. 02AH
Tuesday 8-9 (3-4:55 PM), Thursday 9 (4:05-4:55 PM)
Classroom: CSE A101
Prof. Thiele’s Office Hours: Wednesday 3-5 PM
Anderson 302
TAs:
Lorna Bracewell - lbracewell@ufl.edu
Tuesday 1-3 PM, Anderson 11
Fall 2013
Professor Thiele
www.clas.ufl.edu/users/thiele/
thiele@ufl.edu
Tel. 273-2380
Saskia Van Wees - svanwees@ufl.edu
Thursday 2-4 PM, Anderson 11
Course Description:
Sustainability means much more than recycling and switching off lights. It has implications for what
we eat and drink, how we travel, what we study, how we earn our living, what we buy, who we vote
for, and how we think and act and feel as individuals, citizens, and as members of diverse
communities.
Sustainability is often defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs. It is characterized by three overarching concerns: maintaining
ecological and environmental health; creating economic welfare; and ensuring social justice. This course
introduces the ideas, insights, questions, and challenges associated with the interdisciplinary field of
sustainability studies. It addresses the principles and practices of sustainability as approached through a
variety of topics and academic fields and features a series of guest lectures by UF’s leading scholars as well as
community and business leaders.
Crucial questions and challenges define our times. Is the earth headed for ecological collapse, and if so, what
can be done to avert catastrophe? How can humanity’s growing needs be met without mortgaging the future?
Are there economically viable ways to ensure equitable, flourishing lives for the citizens of the planet? Is a
sustainable world primarily to be achieved through green design and technology, or by changing consciousness
and behavior? What are the characteristics of sustainable lives and businesses, and what practical means are at
our disposal to achieve these goals? In this course, students will develop answers to such questions by critically
and creatively engaging with interdisciplinary texts and lecturers, through written assignments, and by way of
debate and discussion.
Facets of Sustainability serves as the gateway course for students in the Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability
Studies and the Minor in Sustainability Studies. For information about the Major and Minor in Sustainability
Studies, go to http://sustainability.clas.ufl.edu/
Course Objectives and Focus of Assessment:
Students taking this course will:
1. Gain knowledge of a diverse spectrum of sustainability oriented scholarship, including that in the
natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
2. Understand the benefits and challenges of addressing and integrating the environmental, economic,
and social components of sustainability
3. Critically assess, evaluate and utilize interdisciplinary knowledge and systems thinking to facilitate
adaptation in a rapidly changing world at local, regional, national, and global levels.
4. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication of a broad range of approaches, frameworks,
metrics, principles, and practices of sustainability.
Students will be encouraged to develop perceptiveness, appreciation of diverse perspectives, and
understanding of complex systems while clarifying their personal values and public commitments.
This course aims to equip students with the skills required to pursue sustainability in a rapidly
changing world. These skills include
• creative and critical thinking skills
• network learning and interdisciplinary inquiry skills
• communication and collective deliberation skills
Required Texts:
Leslie Paul Thiele, Sustainability (Polity Press 2013). Note: All after-tax royalties from sales of this book to
students of IDS 2154 will be given Gators Going Green.
Worldwatch Institute, Is Sustainability Still Possible? (Island Press 2013)
Daniel Quinn, Ishmael (Bantam)
Other assigned readings can be found in the Sustainability Studies Handbook (SSH) at
http://sustainability.clas.ufl.edu/handbook
Recommended Readings:
Lester Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (available free online at
www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/books/pb4)
Weekly reading of the AASHE Bulletin (sign up at http://www.aashe.org/connect/enewsletters) as well as
periodic reading of other online sources, such as the Earth Portal (http://www.earthportal.org/), The Grist
(http://www.grist.org/) and Environmental News Network (http://www.enn.com)
Course requirements and grading:
Each week students must read, and be prepared to discuss, the readings (approximately 60 pages per week). As
the course is designed to promote active participation in class and develop the skill of critical thinking, class
attendance and active note-taking is required. With this in mind, Powerpoint slides employed in lectures will
not be made available. Prof. Thiele and/or his Teaching Assistants will be happy to respond to all email
inquiries regarding the class—unless the requested information is on the syllabus, in other documents provided
to students, or was specifically addressed in class. If you do not receive a response to a inquiry, refer to
available documents or confer with a classmate.
In-class exams - (2, 25 points each, for a total of 50 points)
There will be 2 in-class exams. Each exam is worth 25% of the final grade. The exams will have short answer
and essay components. They will be based on the readings, films, and lectures of the last three Units covered in
the course. Students who miss the first exam will write an extra research paper, topic TBA (minimum of 3000
words) which is due 7 days after the exam, with penalties for tardy submissions. There is no make-up paper
for the final exam.
Term paper: (30 points)
Students will write a ten-page (3000-3600 words) term paper. Papers under 3000 or over 3600 words will
not be accepted. The paper is to have an additional 1-page bibliography (not included in the word count).
Paper topics will be discussed in class in late September. The paper will be graded on the quality of research,
organization, persuasiveness of argument, and clarity of writing. It will have multiple components that will
have different completion dates. Penalties will be associated with not completing the various components on
time. You will be held responsible for displaying good writing skills, and should consult the tutorial offered at
www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/skills/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm. Plagiarism of any sort will not be
tolerated and will result in failure of the course. The electronic copy of your final paper, submitted to
Turnitin.com, a web-based plagiarism-checking program, is due at noon on November 26. Late papers,
beginning at 12:01 P.M., will be penalized ½ letter grade per day.
Online Submissions - (12 submissions, for a total of 6 points)
In a weekly online blog, students submit a short quotation from that week’s reading with the
appropriate page number, followed by a question, comment or challenge pertaining to the quotation.
Your response to the quotation must be a minimum of 100 words, and is due each Tuesday by noon,
August 27-November 19, with the exception of October 8). Students are encouraged to read and
respond to other students’ submissions. Late submissions and submissions not appropriately
submitted will not receive credit.
In class hand-ins – (12 hand-ins, for a total of 6 points)
Each Tuesday in class (August 27-November 19, with the exception of October 8) students will hand in at least
two questions, comments, or challenges that pertain to the lecture (for a total of 50 words). If you miss a hand
in, you can do a make up by attending a public lecture (announced by Prof. Thiele throughout the semester) and
submitting a (minimum) 400-word review that identifies the speaker, date, and lecture title, summarizes the
lecture, and relates it to class readings and discussions. Students may submit (to the course TA) up to five
public lecture make-ups. To receive a make-up credit, your review must be received by 4 PM of the day
following the public lecture.
Special group assignments - (2, 4 points each, for a total of 8 points)
Topics TBA; assignments due October 24 and November 21
Bonus points: From time to time during the semester, special in-class or out of class assignments may be given,
typically on Thursdays. Successful completion of these assignments will provide bonus points. There will be no
make-ups for bonus points, so if you were not in class on the Thursday they were given, you will miss out.
Honor Code - Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the University community. An
academic honesty offense is defined as the act of lying, cheating, or stealing academic information so that one
gains academic advantage. For more detail go to: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/academic.htm
Students requiring accommodations must first register with the Dean of Student's office, Disability Resource
Center. The Dean of Student's office will provide documentation that the student will give to the instructor.
Grading Scale:
A
95 – 100%
C
73 – 76%
A90 – 94%
C70 – 72%
B+
87 – 89%
D+
67 – 69%
B
83 – 86%
D
63 – 66%
B80 – 82%
D60 – 62%
C+
77 – 79%
E
59% or below
A grade of C- is not a qualifying grade for major, minor, Gen Ed, Gordon Rule or College Basic
Distribution credit. See http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html
Class Schedule
Unit One – Introduction to Sustainability: Core Concepts
August 22: Dr. Thiele, Introduction to course
August 27: Dr. Thiele, “Sustainability and Time”
August 29: Dr. Thiele, “How to ACE your Education: Developing Sustainability Skills”
Readings: Thiele, 1-38; The Earth Charter, The Tailloires Declaration (in SSH - Overview and Basic
Concepts)
September 3: Dr. Amanda Concha-Holmes, UF Anthropology, “Visualizing Sustainability”
September 5: Dr. Thiele, “The Geography of Sustainability”
Readings: Thiele, 39-64; Worldwatch, 3-16; 255-268;
Unit Two (Cluster D) – Ecology & Environmental Stewardship
September 10: Heather Barrett, Director of Organizational Development
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) “Tropical
Conservation: On the Ground in Belize”
September 12: Dr. Thiele, “The Earth System and Biodiversity”
Readings: Thiele, 65-89; Worldwatch, 19-27,
September 17: Gary Yourofsky, “Our Duties to Animals and the Case for Veganism”
September 19: Dr. Thiele, “Ecological Ethics”
Readings: Ishmael, through Chapter 6
Unit Three (Cluster B) – Economics, Law, & Policy
September 24: Trae Holland, Vice President of Sustainability Management, ECON, “Helping Business become
Sustainable”?
September 26: Dr. Thiele, “Ecological Economics”
Readings: Thiele, 142-167, Worldwatch, 126-153; ECON brochures (www.econsouth.com &
https://www.box.com/s/b050f3009df16bc0d7ec);
“Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change”
(http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/CLOSED_SHORT_executive_summary.pdf)
October 1: Dr. Jonathan Dain, Natural Resources Leadership Institute, UF, “Getting Beyond Policy Gridlock”
October 3: Dr. Thiele, “Governance and Empowerment”
Readings: Thiele, 115-141; Worldwatch, 244-252, 279-291,
October 8: Mid-term exam – covers Units 1-3
October 10: Project 1 Group work in class: Prof. Thiele at AASHE conference in Nashville
Unit Four (Cluster C) – Production Systems and the Built Environment
October 15: Dr. Angela Linder, UF Environmental Engineering Sciences, "Design and Decisionmaking through Life Cycle Assessment"
October 17: Dr. Thiele. “Production Systems and Unintended Consequences”
Readings: Thiele, 90-114; Worldwatch, 317-331, 353-362
October 22: Dr. Kirk Hatfield, Director of UF’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and
Environment, “Engineering our way to Sustainability”
October 24: Project 1 Group presentations
Readings: Worldwatch, 39-98
Unit 5: (Cluster A) - Ethics, Culture, & Human Behavior
October 29: Ron Chandler, President, Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant, Inc., Doctoral
student in Environmental Psychology, “The Psychology of Sustainability”
October 31: Dr. Thiele and Jeffrey Weisberg of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding
Readings: Ishmael, through Chapter 12; Francis Moore Lappe, “Scarcity-mind or Ecomind?” in Solutions Journal at http://thesolutionsjournal.anu.edu.au/node/22191
November 5: Conversation with Daniel Quinn
November 7: Project 2 Group work in class. Dr. Thiele giving talk at University of Pennsylvania,
Readings: Ishmael, finish book
Unit 6: Greening Gators, Gainesville, and the Globe
November 12: Matt Williams, Director, UF Office of Sustainability/Sustainable UF, “Sustainability at
The University of Florida”
November 14: Dr. Thiele, “Where from here?”
Readings: Thiele, 168-199; Worldwatch, 113-125, 218-224
November 19: Student leaders from Gators Going Green and other UF sustainability organizations
November 21: Project 2 Group presentations
Readings: Worldwatch, 172-183, 225-233,
November 26: Term papers due at noon. Submit through E-learning.
In-class film and discussion: Sustainability as a Vocation (attendance optional)
Thanksgiving break
December 3: In-class exam – covers Units 4-6