Course Outline: Economics for Sustainability

This course outline provides a counter-balance to the traditional economics curriculum, focusing instead on the need to create a new sustainable model that examines climate change threats, globalization and the race to the bottom, debt-driven personal and global finance, as well as the cost of war vs. the benefits of peace. Essential questions include: What does it mean to build a sustainable life in a sustainable world? How might we create a new "living" economy? The course begins with a viewing and analysis of the video "The Story of Stuff" and engages students in discussions on wasteful consumption, urban farming, green innovation, and the peace dividend.