The interdisciplinary minor in sustainable development and the environment examines whether transnational corporations can be both competitive and responsible by pursuing a strategy of sustainable development. The minor includes a set of courses that examine carefully the concept of sustainable development in an increasingly global economy. These courses are based on the premise that sustainable development means reconciling the need for economic growth, particularly in developing nations, with the need to protect both natural resources and the quality of life.

This minor will appeal primarily to students majoring in environmental studies or international business, but it will be available to other students as well. It includes a prescribed sequence of academic courses in conjunction with opportunities for practical applications of course theory through field study practica.

Students who complete this minor will gain an understanding of:

• the basic principles of environmental protection and sustainability;
• the emergence and consequences of globalization;
• the increasing role of international cooperation in managing environmental problems;
• the political economy of transnational corporations;
• the range of both positive and negative behaviors of transnational corporations in developing countries, and the ability to evaluate the environmental consequences of those behaviors; and
• recent attempts to measure and evaluate sustainable development, including indicators of corporate practice.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Twenty-eight (28) semester hours are required: four (4) core courses, worth four (4) semester hours each and two (2) seminar/practicum courses worth six (6) semester hours each.

CORE COURSES

• INB 200 Introduction to International Business
• ENV 292 Political Economy of Environmental Issues
• ENV 348 Sustainable Development
• INB 225 Sustainable Business Practices

SEMINAR/PRACTICUM COURSES
Seminar/practicum courses serve as case studies in sustainable development. Each is comprised of a semester-length seminar followed by a study-abroad practicum. All are focused on Latin America and the Caribbean, areas that serve as representative case studies to illustrate a wide range of issues in sustainable development. Two (2) courses with field study component are required.

• ENV 365 Environment and Development in Central America
• ENV 365F Central America Field Study
• ENV 375 Island Economies and Sustainability in the Caribbean
• ENV 375F Caribbean Field Study -- Dominica
• ENV 385 Sustainable Development in the Amazon Basin
• ENV 385F Amazon Basin Field Study
• INB 375 Global Production Systems and Sustainable Development
• INB 375F Northern Mexico Field Study