This course introduces graduate students and postdocs to central ideas in sustainability, emphasizing knowledge and actionable skills, including how students might apply sustainability mindsets, theoretical frames, and approaches in their own scholarship. The sustainability competencies core to this course--systems thinking, transdisciplinary thinking, and values thinking--are important not only for conducting effective sustainability-related research, but also for connecting one’s work to change-making spaces such as policy, industry, and conservation organizations. 

Designed around a combination of guest speakers, large- and small-group discussions, and skills-based workshops, organized and hosted by faculty and staff active in Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, students will deepen their knowledge and learn skills while also expanding on- and off-campus networks in climate, energy, and sustainability. Each day consists of morning and afternoon sessions where students hear from guest speakers, engage in reflective/interactive activities, and participate in workshops. In the morning, speakers and facilitators introduce the day’s sustainability theme through a lecture and interactive activities. Scholars then share how they have applied these ideas in their own work through topics such as alternative energy, waste management, and community engagement. In the afternoon, students participate in workshops, including those on science communication, research ethics, and design thinking. The week includes a tailored field trip to Jasper Ridge, Stanford’s 1,900-acre biological field station.

Course Schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 9 – Friday, Sept. 12, 9 AM – 4 PM

• Full attendance is expected.