Courses

An introduction to the core concepts underpinning sustainability and their intersections with design. Students will gain an understanding of the Corporate Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) landscape that has emerged as a driving force in the adoption of sustainability goals and the important role design will play in manifesting the transition to a more sustainable world.

This course uses sociological insight to develop a broader understanding of key concepts and debates about the sustainability of cities.

Students learn how the built environment affects a variety of quality-of-life factors, including the natural environment, personal health, and broader measures of community health and well-being. Classroom lectures are reinforced through field activities, data collection, and direct interaction with the Birmingham government and community organizations.

Focuses on sustainable community with applications in public policy/design including societal organization, disciplinary bound design and policy, and empowered approaches to design, social ecology and public policy; reading and review of relevant literature on sustainability, complemented with exercises to illustrate underlying principles.

This course examines a breadth of sustainable construction techniques, including material production, material selection, sustainable design, the ecology model for design, life cycle cost analysis, and sustainable construction. The sustainable construction techniques are discussed relative to advanced sustainable framing, waste minimization techniques, LEED, and green roofs.

Study of sustainable construction techniques and best practices. Provides an understanding of the interdependencies between planning, designing, building, operating, and demolishing the built environment and their impacts on the natural environment.

This course is an in-depth study of the role of consumption in the development of sustainable systems including the family, natural resources and economics.

Principles of sustainable agriculture with modern crop production practices, management of biological, physical, and human resources to optimize field crop production in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. Emerging biotechnologies, precision agriculture, etc. are highlighted.

Sustainable certification standards and professional accreditation requirements related to sustainability. May count either CADS 5310 or CADS 6310. 2018 Consumer and Design Sciences - CADS

Sustainable certification standards and professional accreditation requirements related to sustainability. May count either CADS 5310 or CADS 6310.