The Interdisciplinary Minor in Global Sustainability trains students to understand the changes that are needed for the human population to live in a sustainable relationship with the resources available on this planet.

As a result of population growth and the pursuit of higher standards of living, humanity has initiated many global trends that cannot be sustained indefinitely. Some of these trends are physicochemical in nature, such as the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and the increasing pollution of our environment, including the accumulation of ozone-depleting chemicals with consequent increase of ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface, and the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other molecules that are instrumental in exacerbating global warming. Other trends are biological ones including the degradation of agricultural land, the destruction of many kinds of wildlife habitat with associated high rates of species extinction, and the depletion of wildlife populations by over-exploitation. Global changes are also taking place in human societies including loss of cultural diversity, a growing income gap between rich and poor nations leading to deepening poverty and additional pressure for biological resource exploitation, accelerating urbanization with associated social problems, and regional population and economic imbalances leading to escalating political tensions and potential for conflict. This program examines the causes and interrelationships of these problems and considers new approaches to solving them. Its goal is to provide broad, interdisciplinary training that will allow students to better understand and effectively deal with the serious environmental problems that we will face in the twenty-first century.

The Minor is open to all UCI students. Course descriptions are available in the academic department sections of the Catalogue.  Courses in addition to ones already approved for the Minor (below) may be petitioned, and the list will be updated on annual basis to capture new classes.

Requirements for the Minor

Completion of an introductory course anthology that may include any three of the following in any order (one from each group):

• Earth System Science 1 (The Physical Environment),
  Earth System Science 3 (Oceanography),
  Earth System Science 5 (The Atmosphere),
  Earth System Science 15 (Introduction to Global Climate Change),
  University Studies 13 A (Environment I)
• Biological Sciences 6 (Tropical Ecology:  Race to Save the Planet),
  Biological Sciences 9K (Global-Change Biology; same as ESS 13),
  Biological Sciences 55 (Introduction to Ecology),
  Biological Sciences 65 (Biodiversity and Conservation),
  Biological Sciences 94 (From Organisms to Ecosystems),
  Planning, Policy, and Design 131 (Environmental Sustainability I; same as Earth System Science 180)
  Planning, Policy, and Design 132 (Environmental Sustainability II; same as Earth System Science 182)
  University Studies 13B (Environmental Studies II)
• Anthropology 20A (People, Cultures, and Environmental Sustainability)
  Anthropology 30A (Global Issues in Anthropological Perspective)
  Anthropology 41A (Global Cultures and Society)
  Social Ecology E8 (Introduction to Environmental Analysis and Design)
  Sociology 44 (Population)
  Political Science 41A (Introduction to International Relations)
  Public Health 30 (Human Environments)
  Public Health 60 (Environmental Quality and Health)University Studies 13C (Environmental Studies III)

Three relevant elective courses (12 units): One elective course must be taken in each of the following three disciplines, and at least two of these must be upper division. While courses from the introductory course list (above) apply, the same course may not be used to complete both the introductory lower-division sequence and the supplemental three courses. As they arise, additional courses may be petitioned to fulfill this requirement as well as the lower-division introductory category. Students may select from the following list:

Biological Sciences: 

• Biological Sciences 6 (Tropical Biology: Race to Save the Tropics)
  Biological Sciences9K (Global-Change Biology; same as Earth System Science 13)
  Biological Sciences55 (Introduction to Ecology)
  Biological Sciences94 (From Organisms to Ecosystems)
  Biological Sciences65 (Biodiversity and Conservation)
  Biological SciencesE106 (Processes in Ecology and Evolution)
  Biological SciencesE118 (Ecosystem Ecology; same as Earth System Science 164)
  Biological SciencesE150 (Conservation Biology)
  Biological SciencesE175 (Restoration Ecology)
  Biological SciencesE178 (Ocean Ecology)
  Biological SciencesE179 (Limnology and Freshwater Biology)
  Biological SciencesE182 (Mediterranean Ecosystems)
  Biological SciencesE186 (Population and Community Ecology)
  Biological SciencesE189 (Environmental Ethics)
  University Studies 13B (Environmental Studies II)

Physical Sciences: 

• Earth System Sciences 1 (The Physical Environment),
  Earth System Science 3 (Oceanography),
  Earth System Science 5 (The Atmosphere);
  Earth System Science 13 (Global-Change Biology; same as Bio. Sci. 9K),
  Earth System Science 15 (Introduction to Global Climate Change),
  Earth System Science 25 (Introduction to Earth and Environmental Sciences),
  Earth System Science 51 (Land Interactions),
  Earth System Science 55 (Earth’s Atmosphere),
  Earth System Science 60A (Fundamental Processes in Earth and Environmental Studies),
  Earth System Science 60B (Local and Regional Environmental Issues),
  Earth System Science 60C (Global Environmental Issues),
  Earth System Science 164 (Ecosystems Ecology; same as Bio. Sci. E118),  
  Earth System Science 180 (Environmental Sustainability I; same as Planning, Policy and Design 131),
  Earth System Science 182 (Environmental Sustainability II; same as Planning, Policy and Design 132),
  Public Health 90 (Natural Disasters),
  University Studies 13 A (Environment I)

Social Sciences/Social Ecology: 

• Anthropology 2 (Introduction to Anthropology)
  Anthropology2A (Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology)
  Anthropology20A (People, Cultures, and Environmental Sustainability)
  Anthropology30A (Global Issues in Anthropological Perspective)
  Anthropology41A (Global Cultures and Society)
  Anthropology125A (Economic Anthropology)
  Anthropology125B (Ecological Anthropology)
  Social Ecology E8 (Introduction to Environmental Analysis and Design)
  Social Ecology E113 (Social Ecology of Peace; same as International Studies 121)
  Planning, Policy, and Design 131 (Environmental Sustainability I, same as Earth System Science 180)
  Planning, Policy, and Design 132 (Environmental Sustainability II, same as Earth System Science 182)
  Planning, Policy, and Design 134 (Human Ecology)
  Planning, Policy, and Design 136 (Global Environmental Issues, same as International Studies 120 and Political Science 143D)
  Sociology 44 (Population)
  Political Science 41A (Introduction to International Relations)
  Public Health 30 (Human Environments)
  Public Health 60 (Environmental Quality and Health)
  Public Health 90 (Natural Disasters)
  University Studies 13C (Environmental Studies III)

Senior Seminar on Global Sustainability I, II, III:  To fulfill the requirements for the Minor, students must complete Biological Sciences 191A-B-CW (same as Earth System Science 190A-B-CW and Social Ecology 186A-B-CW), which includes a seminar, directed study, and independent research in a relevant area. This work forms the basis for the senior research paper.

For more information

Peter A. Bowler, Director
Director of the UCI Arboretum, UC Natural Reserve System Faculty
Manager of the UC Irvine Reserves, and
Senior Lecturer, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

321 Steinhaus Hall
(949) 824-6006
Fax (949) 824-2181