Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability:
Choose from over 76 courses from faculties across campus to gain a truly interdisciplinary perspective of sustainability. Learn more by reviewing the Course List (right) and Requirements (below) for more information.
The following courses have been newly added to the Minor Course List:
- ART 3DP3 (dean’s permission, 2019/2020)
- CHEM 2BC3 and CHEM 2SC3
- SUSTAIN 2SS3
The following courses have been removed from the Minor Course List and can no longer be used towards an Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability:
- ANTHROP 2E03
- BIOLOGY 2F03
- ENGINEER 4A03
- PHILOS 2B03
Students who have taken ANTHROP 2EO3, BIOLOGY 2F03, or PHILOS 2B03 in 2018/2019 or before, can still count those units towards their Minor in Sustainability.
Students who have taken ENGINEER 4A03 in 2020/2021 or before can still count those units towards their Minor in Sustainability.
Overview
Addressing sustainability in our society poses interdisciplinary challenges that require interdisciplinary solutions. McMaster created the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability with the goal to develop student’s interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of sustainability. In selecting our course list we have adopted AASHE’s definitions below:
Sustainability-focused courses concentrate on the concept of sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.
Sustainability-related courses incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module or concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue.¹
Objectives
To achieve this goal (see above), the Minor provides a path for students to study diverse aspects of sustainability by taking courses from different faculties and integrating them into a cohesive whole. The specific objectives of the Minor are as follows:
- Promote engagement among students, faculty, and staff across the University, facilitating interdisciplinary learning.
- Offer a wide selection of courses to enable students to choose the sustainability emphasis that is right for them and to pursue courses that will further their individual learning objectives.
- Provide opportunities to meaningfully engage with communities both within and outside of McMaster.
- Encourage opportunities for student experiential learning about sustainability.
Reporting
Through the development and implementation of McMaster’s Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability, students are now able to choose from 76 courses from faculties across campus to gain a truly interdisciplinary perspective of sustainability as well as tailor a minor that compliments their major. In five years of operation, 115 students have declared an Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability.
Collaborators
The Minor would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the past and current members of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability Committee; the Arts & Science Program for providing an administrative home for the Minor; the faculty members who have opened up their courses for inclusion and helped communicate the Minor; the staff members, including academic advisors, who have provided advice and guidance throughout; and the dozens of students who have shown their support by taking the Minor and working with us through its development.
Requirements
24 units total
3 units from SUSTAIN courses
SUSTAIN 1S03 – Introduction to Sustainability;
SUSTAIN 2S03 – Evaluating Problems & Sustainable Solutions;
SUSTAIN 3S03 – Implementing Sustainable Change;
SUSTAIN 4S06 – Leadership in Sustainability
21 units from Course List
Any cross-listed course between two or more Faculties and those of interdisciplinary programs will be counted as a course outside of the student’s home Faculty. ENVIRSC and EARTHSC courses are administered by the Faculty of Science. GEOG courses will be considered as Faculty of Social Science courses.
Sustain courses do not count towards units outside a student’s home Faculty.
NOTES
Student requests for course substitution can be completed using the request template and sent to Minor Committee Co-Chair Kate Whalen at whalenk@mcmaster.ca. The Request for Course Substitution template can be found at the appropriate tab above.
- Students should note that not all courses listed are available each year. As well, it is the student’s responsibility to check carefully for prerequisites, co-requisites and enrolment restrictions.
- Students are strongly encouraged to seek guidance from their academic advisor to ensure they are meeting all enrolment requirements, including Faculty-specific requirements for double counting courses required for a student’s major.
- All courses have enrolment capacities. The Faculty cannot guarantee enrolment in courses for minors, even when prerequisites have been met.
- ENVIRSC and EARTHSC courses are administered by the Faculty of Science.
- GEOG courses will be considered as Social Sciences courses
Committee
Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:
- Establish goals for the development and enhancement of the Minor and report annually on progress made
- Promote the Minor, including Sustain 1S03 and other courses on the Minor Course List
- Advise on the administrative processes involved, such as course exception process, course list, requirements, etc.
- Consult with Faculty colleagues on the course list and other administrative aspects
- Approve the course list, specifically for courses under each member’s home Faculty. Offer insight on courses outside home Faculty.
- Provide pan-campus perspective as it relates to development and management of the Minor
Guiding Principles
McMaster’s Minor in Sustainability is guided by the following principles:
- Provide students with foundational sustainability knowledge
- Create a consciousness and respect for the diversity of sustainability perspectives held in different Faculties
- Ensure an interdisciplinary educational experience
- Encourage and support student-directed learning
- Complement existing McMaster educational offerings while avoiding redundancy
- Ensure inter-Faculty equity, including student accessibility
Meeting Frequency
Twice annually in July and November
Membership – 2019/2020
Member | Faculty | Department | Contact Information |
---|---|---|---|
Kate Whalen, Co-Chair | Academic Sustainability Programs Office | whalenk@mcmaster.ca | |
Brent McKnight, Co-Chair | Business | Strategic Management | bmcknight@mcmaster.ca |
Rebecca Bishop, Program Administrator | Arts & Science | Arts & Science | rbishop@mcmaster.ca |
John Maclachlan | Arts & Science | Arts & Science | maclacjc@mcmaster.ca |
Dean Mountain | Business | Finance and Business Economics | mountain@mcmaster.ca |
Cam Churchill | Engineering | Civil Engineering | church@mcmaster.ca |
Carlos Filipe | Engineering | Chemical Engineering | filipec@mcmaster.ca |
Stacey Ritz | Health Sciences | Health Sciences | ritzsa@mcmaster.ca |
Judy Major-Girardin | Humanities | School of the Arts | girardin@mcmaster.ca |
Susie O’Brien | Humanities | English and Cultural Studies | obriensu@mcmaster.ca |
Luc Bernier | Science | Geography and Earth Sciences | berniejm@univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca |
Chad Harvey | Science | Integrated Science (iSci) Program | harvech@mcmaster.ca |
Maureen Padden | Science | Geography and Earth Sciences | paddenm@mcmaster.ca |
Shanti Morell-Hart | Social Science | Anthropology | smorell@mcmaster.ca |
Sandra Preston |
Social Science | Social Work | prestosl@mcmaster.ca |
Aubrey Cannon | Social Science | Anthropology | cannona@mcmaster.ca |
Student Sub-Committee
Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of the Student Committee are as follows:
- Promote the Minor and increase student awareness about the Minor
- Provide opportunities to meaningfully engage with the McMaster community
- Encourage opportunities for student experiential learning about sustainability
- Increase enrollment in SUSTAIN classes
- Increase engagement on social media
Meeting Frequency
Weekly meetings from September to April.
Membership – 2020/2021
Member |
Role |
Department/Faculty |
Contact Information |
Kate Whalen |
Student Committee Liaison |
Academic Sustainability Programs Office |
|
Abbie Little |
Student Committee Coordinator |
Academic Sustainability Programs Office |
|
Cassandra Dumouchel | Student Member | Life Science | N/A |
Fairuz Karim | Student Member | PNB | N/A |
Fiona Sharpe | Student Member | Social Sciences | N/A |
Gabriel Lonuzzo | Student Member | Engineering | N/A |
Grace Kuang |
Student Member |
Health Science |
N/A |
Lindsay Lee |
Student Member |
Engineering |
N/A |
Madison Hough |
Student member |
Business |
N/A |
Shunmathi Shanmugam |
Student Member |
Arts & Science |
N/A |
Yambakam Nyangani |
Student Member |
Life Science |
N/A |
Request for Course Substitution
Students wishing to have a sustainability-related course, which is not currently on the Sustainability Minor Course List, and have it count towards their minor are encouraged to email Kate Whalen, Senior Manager of Academic Sustainability Programs and Co-Chair of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability (whalenk@mcmaster.ca), with the following information:
- Your Name:
- Your Home Faculty:
- Your Program of Study and Level:
- Faculty (of the course you are submitting the request for):
- Program (of the course you are submitting the request for):
- Course Code and Title:
- Course Outline (link or attach a copy):
- Name and Email of Course Instructor (who taught when you took the course):
- Have you had any other courses approved for substitutions?
- If yes, please list using Course Code and Title:
- Name of the academic advisor you have been working with in your home Faculty, if appropriate. If you haven’t been working with a specific advisor, that’s fine too.
- A key objective of the minor is to enable students to select from a diverse list of courses in order to tailor a minor to suit their unique passions and interest in sustainability. Please describe how this course, and/or what you have done in this course, contributes to your learning about sustainability and your sustainability minor. Your request will be reviewed by the minor committee and students can expect a response within approximately 1-2 weeks. The requirements for the Minor in Sustainability can be found here.
Nominate a Cool Course
We are looking to hear from students about the cool course(s) you’ve taken that counts towards McMaster’s Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability. We want to share your favourites on our social media for others to see!
Criteria:
Nominated courses must meet the following requirements:
- Undergraduate course at McMaster
- Counts towards the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustianability (see list here)
- Nominated by a student who has completed the course
Nomination form:
If the course you want to nominate meets the criteria above, and you approve of us sharing the information you provide, please email Abbie Little at asp@mcmaster.ca your reponse to the following:
1. Name of professor and course code you are nominating:
2. Write a 1-2 sentence testimonial about why this course is cool and/or how it enhanced your sustainability education:
3. Include your name, faculty, and level of study:
4. Provide us with your Facebook name and/or Instagram handle to be tagged (optional):
5. Provide us with a photo to be included in the post (optional):
Process:
After submitting your nomination, our team will connect with the professor and invite them to collaborate on a post by providing some more information about them and their course. Our team will create the social media graphic and content, have it approved by the student and professor, and post it on the @macsustain Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Additional Resources:
2020/21 Course Calendar
Minor in Sustainability can be found within the 2020/21 Course Calendar, under the heading of Interdisciplinary Minors
Resource Link
Requirements for IBH Students
Requirements for students in McMaster’s Integrated Business and Humanities program
Why Study Sustainability
Complement your major with an Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability
Download Powerpoint