While deeply ingrained value judgments surround the term sustainable development, most now agree with Herman Daly, a former World Bank economist, that sustainable development is development that utilizes the interest of the earth’s natural resources without encroaching upon its capital.  Just exactly how this process is carried out, though, remains hotly contested.  That is, the precise political steps for policy implementation remain fuzzy to date. 

This semester we will examine an array of issues that highlight this deficiency before extrapolating the conditions needed to overcome them.  We start by examining the theoretical context and international relations framework in which this debate is set.   After this initial three week stage, the course dives into a series of case studies that examine both sustainable and unsustainable practices.  We begin first with social issues such as population growth, consumption, racism, poverty, disease, and ethnic conflict.  The next set of issues revolves around questions of energy usage and waste by-products, including nuclear energy, hydro-electric power, fossil fuels, and solar power.  The final set of sustainable and unsustainable practices fall under the rubric of economics and environmental protection, asking whether or not a tension exists between the two.  Topics addressed here include biodiversity, deforestation, invasive species, and tourism.  The course concludes by asking students to synthesize the lessons of these various case studies into a blueprint for sustainable development.