Students can now pursue an M.A. or M.S. in Sustainability and participate in the Master’s International Peace Corps Program, which integrates graduate study with an international development field experience.
After completing required coursework for the master’s program and receiving a Peace Corps placement, student volunteers will travel to the respective sites to begin training. Once overseas, they are given an assignment according to the needs and requests of the host country. While oversees, the student volunteer’s primary responsibility is the project and community to which they have been assigned.
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Australia has
a beautiful and arid landscape, and unique plants and animals that defied the
comprehension of early European observers. But Australian Aborigines,
representing the longest continuous cultural tradition in the world, adapted to
the unique conditions across Australia over some 40-60,000 years, developing
technologies, religion and lifeways completely tied to the land. Two hundred
years of colonization and more recent processes of urbanization and
globalization have brought massive environmental, social and political changes
to the continent with critical implications for its future sustainability.
Developed as a collaboration between ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change and School of Sustainability, this transdisciplinary program draws on a very wide range of fields (such as anthropology, geography, archaeology, political science, ecology, biology, recreation management, sustainability, urban studies and agriculture) to explore human dimensions of sustainability-past, present and future. The program is suitable for undergraduate students at any level, as no specific background in any of these fields in assumed. Courses fulfill General Studies and Science and Society requirements, and prerequisites are usually waived. Graduate students also can be accommodated with graduate course credit.
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Guatemala is a land rich in history, culture and art. Despite a troubled past, Guatemala has been reborn after a long history of social and political unrest. It is a stable constitutional democratic republic with a bright future. Sustainability challenges threaten to weaken the possibilities for positive growth in the country, but a growing number of tourists and NGOs in the country shows there is hope that Guatemala will emerge from its past a stronger, more prosperous society than ever.
This program is a unique opportunity for students to engage firsthand with local communities to address some of the sustainability issues that face Guatemala and to explore the role that tourism development may have in alleviating some of these issues. Students will work with an established NGO in Guatemala that focuses on community engagement and sustainability initiatives. These initiatives are diverse and range from organic farming to micro-loans and health clinics. Students will have the rare experience of viewing on-the-ground work through an academic lens.
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In Thailand, global forces intersect with a deeply embedded local culture. Since the 1997 financial crisis, the economy has rapidly restructured, with greater emphasis on services such as tourism, health delivery to a global clientele, product design, property development (for local and global markets), and cuisine. This change is reflected in new landscapes and forms of urbanization. The Thai government and various interest groups, including the strong private sector, are struggling to identify policies and mechanisms to realize sustainable development within this rapidly changing context.
This program provides students with first-hand cross-cultural experience in directly addressing key sustainability and urban planning issues facing Thailand. ASU students will work in teams with ASU and Thai faculty, partnered with local students and key stakeholders from government, volunteer organizations, and the private sector. Issues addressed include mass rapid transit and sustainable development, sea level rise associated with global warming, deforestation, air and water pollution in low-income communities, urban heritage conservation, and sustainable tourism.
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In just three decades Dubai has grown from a humble fishing village and trading dock to a world renowned economic haven with world-class infrastructure and ultra-modern facilities. What was once a sun-scorched village occupied by pearl divers and traders is now a highway to the world. Strategically located at the nexus of three continents, Dubai is a technological oasis in the desert. It thrives in a brutal climate and attracts visitors from around the world because of the way its technologies are employed to protect, thrill, and inspire awe.
This class will use Dubai (and nearby Abu Dhabi, Masdar City and Sharjah) as a classroom to better understand the relationship between technology, sustainability and social change. We will use the various building projects in and around Dubai as case studies of how technology can be used to shape human interactions. In particular these issues will be explored with an eye to sustainability – how can one build a sustainable city in the desert?
Established in 2007, the School of Sustainability brings together multiple disciplines and leaders to create and share knowledge, train a new generation of scholars and practitioners, and develop practical solutions to the most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges of sustainability - especially as they relate to urban areas.
