Western University
AC-1: Academic Courses

In order to count course offerings, each course was worth 1 course every time it was offered. We compared the course offerings from 1 academic year (May-April).

We did take into consideration different sections that the course would have in a given semester. Each course was counted for the total number of sections that were being taught at the same time or over 2 semesters. This was done because the outreach of a sustainability related or focused course would reach more individuals the more times it was offered.

Undergraduate courses:
An entire course inventory was provided by the Registrars Office, following a formal meeting to explain the process, and all relevant information that was required. The registrars office provided a list of every Undergraduate Course that was offered in 2016-2017 at Western University. Using this information, course descriptions were examined and Focused/ Related courses were chosen based on a set of criteria (listed below).

Graduate Courses:
The entire Graduate course offerings list was a little more difficult to acquire. Individuals from the registrars office were required to go through each department separately and extracted total courses offered in 2016-2017. The same criteria was used for Graduate courses as Undergraduate Courses (listed below).

Information on Departments is included in the Course Inventory, on a separate sheet.

Criteria Used for classification as Sustainability Focused or Related

The criteria for the classification of the courses was developed using the definition as articulated by the Brundtland Commission, formally the United Nations' World Commission on Environment and Development:
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (UN Documents, n.d., 1.2.1)
Triple bottom line for sustainability:
 Environmental Systems: considerations include, but are not limited to, ecosystem services, climate change & adaptation, biodiversity, air & atmosphere quality, hydrology, water quality, renewable and non-renewable energy, land use, environmental design, etc.

 Economic Sustainability: considerations include, but are not limited to, energy and resource management, policy and regulations, health economics, true-cost or triple-bottom line analysis, organizational behavior, carbon markets, etc.

 Social Sustainability: considerations include, but are not limited to, social equity, gender equality, personal & public health, community development, cultural diversity, peace & human security, corporate social responsibility, etc.
The courses listed are either sustainability-focused or sustainability-related. The distinction used is provided by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), as developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE):
 Sustainability-focused (core) courses concentrate on the concept of sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.

 Sustainability-related courses incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module, or concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue. They may complement sustainability-focused courses by providing students with in-depth knowledge of a particular aspect or dimension of sustainability (such as the natural environment) or by providing a focus area (such as renewable energy) for a student's sustainability studies, or they may broaden students' understanding of sustainability from within different disciplines.