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Sustainability Studies Minor Program

Rachel Carson College is the home of a Minor in Sustainability Studies, designed to offer students training in different applications to addressing environmental issues in an equitable and effective way. The Sustainability Studies minor offers a model for new college-based undergraduate curricula and pedagogies and emphasizes the central academic role of UCSC’s college system on the campus. The minor is highly interdisciplinary, and open to all UCSC students.

Purpose & Pedagogy

 Among the most critical societal challenges of the next 50 years are the rapidly-growing and linked ecological and social crises arising from stresses on supplies of energy, water, and food.  These crises are not simply about the adequacy of supply relative to demand, however; they are also the result of the complex social relations within and among societies, in the past, present, and future. 

Dealing with such socio-ecological problems, therefore, requires robust interdisciplinary collaborations among engineers, social scientists, and natural scientists. Moreover, in today’s rapidly-changing economy, college graduates will need to be flexible and adaptable, able to learn new knowledge and skills rapidly, and cognizant of the complex organization of society and technology. The minor is designed to foster both analytical ability and provide necessary learning.

The pedagogical rationale (what we study and why) of this minor is premised on relationships between classroom learning, service learning, and research and application. Broad interdisciplinarity and individual facility in both STEM and social sciences are critical elements at the center of the minor’s core courses.

 

Who We Are

Shelly Grabe, Rachel Carson Provost

Anne Freiwald, Minor Academic Coordinator 

Ella Carroll, College Academic Manager 

 

 

Location/Contact Information

The Sustainability Studies Office is located in the Rachel Carson College Academic Building, Room 123

Advising Email: ssminor@ucsc.edu

On the subject line add: Sustainability Studies Minor 

 

Ready to Declare?

Find out how here 

How to Declare the Minor

Making Appointments / Getting Your Questions Answered 

For additional questions, email us at ssminor@ucsc.edu.When emailing, please leave your student ID, name, and year, and on the subject line add Sustainability Studies Minor.

Most of our advising is done through SlugSuccess and appointments. Students who have more complex issues, or who find it difficult to make appointments can also contact us via email.

To request an appointment: Make an appointment through SlugSucess

Please feel free to contact us at ssminor@ucsc.edu with the subject line: Sustainability Studies Minor