Courses for the Minor in Sustainability Studies: 2026-2027

This course introduces the evolution, biodiversity, and ecology of organisms. The origin and diversity of life, from prokaryotes, through simple eukaryotes to multi-cellular organisms are introduced. Natural selection, speciation, and phylogeny, stressing evolutionary relationships in conjunction with changing conditions on earth, are presented. The course introduces major concepts in ecology: the physical and chemical environment, population structure, life histories, species interactions, communities, and ecosystems. Lectures only.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Biology.

This course introduces the guiding concepts central to First Peoples Studies at Concordia. These guiding concepts are often misunderstood by mainstream society. Themes include the Medicine Wheel as a structuring approach to course content and teaching/learning; worldviews; colonization and decolonization; First Peoples thought and knowledge; the diversity among First Peoples; and individual and community empowerment within First Peoples frames of reference. Principles and practices of dialogue and cross-cultural communication are introduced. A key process goal of the course is for students to explore, with increasing skill and knowledge, their own motivations, positioning, and goals in relation to pursuing First Peoples Studies.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in any Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the School of Community and Public Affairs.

This course examines a number of global environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The complex interactions and interdependencies among the biophysical, socio‑economic, political, and cultural aspects of global environmental change are explored in relation to issues such as global warming, desertification, deforestation, declining biodiversity, and acid rain.

Note: Students currently registered in a Human Environment, Environmental Geography, or Environmental and Sustainability Science program may not take this course for credit.

Based on an overview of current economic issues, this course introduces students to the fundamental analytical tools and concepts that are necessary to understand economic public policy and relevant to community development and empowerment.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the School of Community and Public Affairs.

Dive into hands-on projects, collaborate across disciplines, and explore the scientific process from hypothesis to data analysis. Whether you are a 1st-year student or simply curious about how science shapes our world, this course offers a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the subject and consider its broader societal impact.

This course introduces students to interdisciplinary thinking in the sciences, to hands-on experimentation and to an appreciation of the role of science in society. Students explore the scientific process from hypothesis to sampling to data analysis and interpretation, as an experiential learning activity in the area of environmental science. This can lead into deeper exploration of the scientific process for students who fit the eligibility criteria to join the Science College.

This course introduces the evolution, biodiversity, and ecology of organisms. The origin and diversity of life, from prokaryotes, through simple eukaryotes to multi-cellular organisms are introduced. Natural selection, speciation, and phylogeny, stressing evolutionary relationships in conjunction with changing conditions on earth, are presented. The course introduces major concepts in ecology: the physical and chemical environment, population structure, life histories, species interactions, communities, and ecosystems. Lectures only.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Biology.

This course provides an introductory overview of knowledge related to the eleven cultural groups of First Peoples in Canada. It explores theories of migration, geographic location, cultural and linguistic diversity, historical socio-economic and political systems as well as the relationships with the environment and traditional practices and beliefs. In-depth focus is placed on representative nations within each group.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the School of Community and Public Affairs.

This course examines a number of global environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The complex interactions and interdependencies among the biophysical, socio-economic, political, and cultural aspects of global environmental change are explored in relation to issues such as global warming, desertification, deforestation, declining biodiversity, and acid rain.

NOTE: Students currently registered in a Human Environment, Environmental Geography, or Environmental Science program may not take this course for credit.

This online course is an introduction to the emerging field of global environmental politics. It surveys the present environmental crisis and the roles of states, international organizations, and civil society. Various case studies dealing with oceans, forests, fisheries, biodiversity, global warming, and others are used to illustrate the inherent complexity of transnational ecological issues in the era of globalization.

*Students registered to begin the Minor before January 2019 must take this course and three other 200-level courses of relevance.

This course provides an introduction to the main problems in the philosophy of science. These include the structure of scientific theories, various models of scientific method and explanation, and the existence of unobservables.

NOTE: Students who have received credit for INTE 250 or PHIL 228 may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Philosophy.

This course examines recent developments in ethical theories as they are applied to questions of environmental practices. Topics discussed may include the moral significance of nonhuman nature, duties to respond to climate change, economics and sustainable environmental protection, and environmental justice.

NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a PHIL 298 or 398 number may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Philosophy.

This course studies energy — a critical resource for civilization — and the impact of energy consumption on societies and the environment. Topics include renewable and non-renewable energy sources, the physics of energy including the second law of thermodynamics and the notion of entropy, energy production and distribution, and social and global environmental issues such as pollution, sustainability, climate change, regulation and the future of energy. Lectures only.

NOTE: Students registered in Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering programs may not take this course for credit.

Prerequisite: Membership in the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, 30 credits, and permission of the College. The student works under the supervision of a Concordia faculty member on an in-depth research project approved by the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability as relevant to either Sustainability Studies or Diversity Studies. Note that the onus is on the student to find a supervisor willing to supervise their work.

Prerequisite: The following courses must be completed previously: AHSC 270 or LOYC 320. Students must have completed 30 credits prior to enrolling.

This course addresses the requirements and processes necessary to build organizational and community sustainable goals in co‑operation with surrounding communities. It provides an introduction to the development of integrated social sustainability and sustainable organizational practices, including sustainability evaluations, the assessment of organizational sustainability status and goals, goal setting, and change processes within a broader, sustainable community context. It acknowledges an integration of multiple layers of organizational (private and public organizations) and community sustainability including recycling and waste awareness, best sustainable practices in industries and logistics, biodiversity, human diversity and social innovation in the context of sustainable development of communities and organizations.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Applied Human Sciences.

Urbanization represents one of the most powerful, irreversible, and visible forms of global change, with over 50% of the world’s people now living in cities. Urban ecology is the study of the processes, systems, and relationships between organisms that occur in these urban environments. This course will introduce students to the ecological features of cities, the processes determining patterns of abundance and distribution of organisms, and the interactions between “people and nature” in urban ecosystems. We will also discuss urban ecology as an interdisciplinary science, emphasizing links with social and physical sciences and humanities, as well as policy and planning. Students will leave this course with a stronger understanding of urban ecosystem function, and how urban nature and biodiversity are critical for making cities more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. Throughout this semester, students will engage in outdoor observation of local urban ecosystems, and participate in a group assignment with potential for “real world” application in partnership with Concordia’s Office of Sustainabilit

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Biology.

This course introduces and examines progress towards sustainable development from an interdisciplinary perspective in Canada and across the globe. It focuses on the multitude of factors included in sustainable development, the interrelationships between these factors, and humans' effectiveness at achieving sustainable development from different disciplinary perspectives. Emphasis is placed on current issues in sustainability and sustainable development, and on solutions to complex sustainability problems in a social context.

Note: Students who have received credit for this topic under a LOYC 398 number may not take this course for credit.

This course considers ethical issues arising in the context of social, legal, and political relations. These issues are discussed in relation to both traditional and contemporary moral perspectives, both religious and non‑religious. Topics covered typically include discussions of social and economic inequality, welfare, poverty, just punishment, business ethics, public ethics, economic development, and sustainable development.

This course is cross-listed with RELI 312. Students who have received credit for this topic under RELI 312 or 398 may not take this course for credit.

Prerequisite: Membership in the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, 30 credits, and permission of the College. The student works under the supervision of a Concordia faculty member on an in-depth research project approved by the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability as relevant to either Sustainability Studies or Diversity Studies. Note that the onus is on the student to find a supervisor willing to supervise their work.

The current environmental crisis has both direct and indirect effects on human health and well-being.  Using a blended strategy of lectures and discussion, this course will take an interdisciplinary approach to these cross-cutting issues from a health and natural science, social science, and humanities perspective. Suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines, the course will involve guest lectures from multiple disciplinary perspectives and the opportunity for personal projects and will address issues such as ecoanxiety and other mental health issues; plastic and other pollution; fire, flood, and other natural disturbances and their impacts; biodiversity and zoonotic disease; agricultural practices and food systems; genetically-modified organisms; environmental cancers; AI and the digital world; resource extraction; and more. Guest lecturers will be drawn from the combined networks of the School of Health and the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability/Loyola Sustainability Research Centre.

This course focuses on the emerging business environment, and how organizations implement ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable management. Sustainable strategies are explored within the context of global economic development, to develop organizational vision, products and processes for achieving long‑term sustainable prosperity.

NOTE: Students who have received credit for this course under a MANA 299 or COMM 299 number may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Management.

This course explores historically enduring non-governmental institutions - such as botanic gardens, museums, and zoos and/or other institutions similar in kind - that seek to work in the service of society and play a role in the governance of ‘nature’ by producing and disseminating social, cultural, and environmental scientific knowledge in informal education settings. Topics covered may include the intersection of these institutions with the emergence of Modernity, European colonialism/coloniality, and current decolonization debates, as well as their reinvention in the 20th and 21st century as sites of socio-environmental conservation and climate change adaptation.

Note: Students who have received credit for SOCI 320, or for this topic under an ANTH 398 or SOCI 398 number, may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

This course presents an introduction to biological communities, the processes that maintain them and their emergent properties. Topics include the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in determining community composition, the concepts of niche and habitat, succession theory, community diversity and stability, energy flow and nutrient cycling. Examples emphasize both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the major global biomes. Lectures only.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Biology.

This course surveys the complex history of the ongoing global crisis of humanmade climate change. Focusing on the period from the onset of the Little Ice Age to the very recent past, the course critically examines environmental, scientific, cultural, and political aspects of both material changes to Earth’s climates and debates about whether and how to respond to them.

Note: Students who received credit for this topic under a HIST 398 number may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of History.

This course considers ethical issues arising in the context of social, legal, and political relations. These issues are discussed in relation to both traditional and contemporary moral perspectives, both religious and non‑religious. Topics covered typically include discussions of social and economic inequality, welfare, poverty, just punishment, business ethics, public ethics, economic development, and sustainable development.

This course is cross-listed with RELI 312. Students who have received credit for this topic under RELI 312 or 398 may not take this course for credit.

Prerequisite: 12 credits of LOYC courses; or permission of the College. This course focuses on the conceptualization of cross-disciplinary inquiry and the problems of interdisciplinary communication. The role of discipline-based and cross-disciplinary research is studied. A brief intellectual history of discipline-formation and emerging interdisciplinary fields is discussed. One contemporary global issue will usually be discussed in detail in this context.

There are two options for this course: the internship option and the research project option. For the first, students complete 120 hours of an approved internship and some related work in class. For the second, students complete a major research paper.

Prerequisite: Membership in the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, 30 credits, and permission of the College. The student works under the supervision of a Concordia faculty member on an in-depth research project approved by the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability as relevant to either Sustainability Studies or Diversity Studies. Note that the onus is on the student to find a supervisor willing to supervise their work.

This course explores the role of business in developing a sustainable global society. Students explore current environmental and societal concerns and the role of business in influencing them. Students learn how the relationships between business and various stakeholders, including communities, governments, and the natural environment, can create opportunities for generating economic, environmental, and social value.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Management.

This course focuses on the emerging business environment, and how organizations implement ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable management. Sustainable strategies are explored within the context of global economic development, to develop organizational vision, products and processes for achieving long‑term sustainable prosperity.

NOTE: Students who have received credit for this course under a MANA 299 or COMM 299 number may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Management.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the main environmental issues and dilemmas affecting contemporary societies around the world, as well as the necessary sociological tools to understand and tackle these challenges.

NOTE: Students who have received credit for ANTH 319 or SOCI 319 or for this topic under an ANTH 398 or SOCI 398 number may not take this course for credit.

Note: Students registered to begin the Minor in January 2019 or later cannot take this course towards their Minor if they are also registered in a Major, Specialization, or Honours program hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.