Sustainability Society Economy Environment

AY2023/2024 Semester 1

Sustainability stresses the importance of future development to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This concept is a culmination of economic, environmental, and social discourse throughout the last few decades. The United Nations (UN) declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) with the aim to promote ?a more sustainable world through different forms of education, training and public awareness activities?. This provides an opportunity to reconsider approaches undertaken to address global challenges. It is imperative that pedagogical directions for higher education institutions address the foundations of sustainable development across different disciplines due to its complex and multi-faceted nature that encompasses a full spectrum of socio-economic-environmental issues. As such, this course aims to stimulate critical thinking, curiosity, and the ability to structure and synthesise knowledge through the lens of sustainability. Learning will be reinforced by concrete case studies with a focus on topics such as resource management, pollution, responsible consumption, and climate change. The course will require systematic analyses of major current sustainability challenges from the perspectives of society, economy, and the environment, and look at how we can promote a more sustainable world through choices and actions, as individuals, societies, nations, and as a global community. Through this learning process, students will acquire a systems thinking approach to sustainability that enhances knowledge and skills sets relevant to various disciplines and career paths. This course hopes to inspire and equip students to be agents of change toward a more sustainable world.