Syllabus - Spring 2010
HSA 5305 - Principles of Sustainability
(Formerly HSA 305)

Excluding textbooks, the information on this syllabus is subject to change.  For the most up-to-date syllabus, check this site on the first day of classes. 

This is a three-credit graduate course and is one in a series of courses in the online Humanitarian Services Administration program developed by the University of Connecticut's Center for Continuing Studies. This course is an elective course in the online Master of Professional Studies degree with a field of study in Humanitarian Services Administration.

This course was developed by Dr. Patrick Obeng-Asiedu, Ph.D.

Course Title: Principles of Sustainability (HSA 5305)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Patrick Obeng-Asiedu, Ph.D.

E-mail: patrick.obeng-asiedu@uconn.edu

For special permission to register for this course, contact Donna.Campbell@uconn.edu. Include your Peoplesoft ID number and reason for taking the course.

The concept of sustainability applies to every area one can imagine since the present generation cannot afford to allow the consumption of productive resources today to jeopardize its future use. The Principles of Sustainability course will provide students with an understanding of the basic principles of environmental concerns that shape the discussion on sustainability, social dimensions & policies, and economics of sustainability.

The course will assist students to develop and apply these principles to help minimize current problems of unsustainable production systems. The course will also present a strategy to alleviate poverty based on sound economic growth, public health, distributional effectiveness and population planning. In doing so, we will discuss the participation of stakeholders, principles and guidelines of involuntary resettlement, the role of non governmental organizations (NGOs), among others.

By the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Identify and explain the fundamental principles of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
• Relate the sustainability principles to current local and global sustainability concerns.
• Employ economic, social, and environmental sustainability principles to contemporary case studies.
• Develop and use sustainability indices.
• Conceptually apply sustainability principles in a final comprehensive paper.

 

During a typical week, students will complete readings in the textbook; access other resources on the course web page, Internet, or other print media; complete a module assignment; and post to the discussion board, as well as comment on discussion postings of other students.

Summary of Course Grading

Course Components	Points	Percentage
Module Discussions	130	25%
Written Assignments	100	20%
Case Studies	120	25%
Final Paper	150	30%
TOTAL	500	100%

Discussion and Participation (25%)
Each week students are expected to participate in the discussion exercise(s). Please feel free to ask questions. Please use the General Discussion area called “Questions for the Instructor” to ask me any course related questions that may benefit other students. For each discussion, students are asked to post an original response, and then read, and respond to other students' postings. In addition, you are asked to substantiate your responses by referencing the textbook and other sources. Further instructions will be provided in each discussion topic.

Written Assignments (20%)
There will be 2 written assignments in this course. Assignment due dates are identified in the course Calendar . Written assignments should be submitted via the assignment tool within the course, by the designated due date to be eligible for full credit. Student grades on each assignment will be determined by the accuracy and quality of your responses. Further instructions will be provided in each assignment.

Group Case Studies (25%)
There will be 3 case studies in this course. You will work in groups on the cases. Your grade on these case studies will depend on your responses as well as your application of the principles of sustainability to these specific cases. Detailed instructions will be provided for each case study. Your case study assignments should be submitted via the Assignment tool within the course. Case study due dates are outlined on the Calendar tool.

Final Paper (30%)
Your final paper has both qualitative and quantitative requirements. The final paper should be comprehensive and apply all sustainability course learnings to your geographic area. Your final paper should be 10 pages in APA style, double spaced in Times New Roman 12 point font. The final paper should be submitted via the Assignments tool. Detailed instructions will be provided in the course.

Late Submission Policy
Course due dates are listed in the Calendar Tool of HuskyCT. The deadline for all course work is 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. You may post an assignment any time prior to or after the specified due date; however, late Discussions and Assignments/Case Study submissions will not be accepted past the due date. Papers will lose 2 points each day they are late until points are exhausted.

Final letter grades for this course will be determined based on the following scale:

Grade	Letter Grade	GPA
97-100	A+	4.3
93-96	A	4.0
90-92	A-	3.7
87-89	B+	3.3
83-86	B	3.0
80-82	B-	2.7
77-79	C+	2.3
73-76	C	2.0
70-72	C-	1.7
67-69	D+	1.3
63-66	D	1.0
60-62	D-	0.7
<60	F	0.0

You are responsible for acting in accordance with the Student Code, available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code.html

Course Communication and Etiquette
At all times, course communication with fellow students and the instructor are to be professional and courteous. If you are new to online learning, you may want to look at this guide titled, The Core Rules of Netiquette.

It is expected that you proof read all your written communication in the course, including discussion posts, assignment submissions, and mail messages. Incorrect spelling and grammar will be penalized when course work is graded.

Course Due Dates
The Calendar tool in HuskyCT lists the course's important due dates and details the course schedule. All course deadlines are based on Eastern Time; if you are in a different time zone, adjust your submittal times accordingly.

Instructor Availability & Communication
I will check into the course thrice a day, unless otherwise noted. Communication and availability are critical success factors in online learning. When I check into the course, I will monitor threaded discussions. Also, I will respond to HuskyCT mail within 24 hours, unless otherwise noted. Finally, if needed, a telephone conversation will occur if resolution of an issue cannot be made within HuskyCT.

If I expect to be away due to illness, travel or family obligations, I will make every attempt to notify you in advance. I expect this same courtesy from you in return. If you need to discuss an issue with me individually, please use the Mail tool within HuskyCT.

Feedback and Grades
I will make every effort to provide feedback and grades in a timely manner. To keep track of your performance in the course, use the MyGrades tool. In addition, the Assignments and Assessments tools have their own grading feedback mechanisms.

Students with Disabilities
Students needing special accommodations should work with the University's Center for Students with Disabilities . You may contact the Center by calling (860) 486-2020 or by emailing csd@uconn.edu . If your request for accommodation is approved, an accommodation letter will be provided. Please present your official letter to the instructor as soon as possible so special arrangements, as appropriate, can be made. (Note: Student requests for accommodation must be filed each semester.)

The University of Connecticut's online course management system, HuskyCT, is a product of Blackboard, Inc. "Blackboard measures and evaluates accessibility levels using two sets of standards; Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act issued from the United States federal government and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)." (Retrieved December 1, 2008 from http://www.blackboard.com/company/accessibility.aspx)

Required Text:
Rogers, P.P., Jalal, K.F., & Boyd, J.A. (2008). An Introduction to Sustainable Development . London, UK: Earthscan. ISBN: 978 1 84407 520 1. [ This course text may be purchased locally or through an online bookstore.]

Required Cases:
Harvard Business Review; Cases from Case Research Journal. [HBR cases can be purchased from Harvard Business Publishing and case research cases can be purchased from the Case Research Journal. Links will be provided to you later.]

Optional References:
These are useful references and would further your understanding of sustainable development and supplement the assigned text:

• World Development Report: 2008 ( http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Resources/2795087-1192111580172/WDROver2008-ENG.pdf )
• Global Environment Outlook ( http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/report/GEO-4_Report_Full_en.pdf Read sections A & B ).
• Irwin, F., & Ranganathan, J. (2007). Restoring Natures Capital: An action agenda to sustain ecosystem services. World Resources Institute (WRI) Report available at ( http://pdf.wri.org/restoring_natures_capital.pdf ).

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• Adobe Acrobat Reader .

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Module 1: Introduction & Challenges of Sustainability (Part I)

• Intellectual foundations of sustainable development
• Sustainability
• Economics & environmental degradation
• Definitions & concepts
• Poverty reduction
• Population

Module 2: Challenges of Sustainability (Part II)

• Pollution control
• Participation
• Public policy & market failures
• Good governance
• Preventing disasters
• Partnership
• Determinants of sustainability
• Consumption
• Production
• Distribution

Module 3: Global Environmental Issues

• Health care
• Food, fisheries and agriculture
• Materials and energy flows
• Forestry
• Water Resources
• Coping with Global problems

Module 4: Economics of Sustainability

• Evolution of economic thinking
• Concepts of welfare
• Public goods, common property & private goods
• Valuation approaches
• Economic assessment of sustainable projects
• Economic life of a project

Module 5: Natural Resource Accounting

• National Income
• Genuine Progress Indicator & Human Development Index
• WB Wealth of Nations

Module 6: Environmental Assessment

• National environmental policy act
• Environmental impact assessment
• Project Categories
• The impact assessment process

Module 7: Environmental Management & Indicators

• Sector policies concerning the environment
• Institutional framework for environmental management
• Need for indicators
• issions, diffusion and impact model
• Aggregating indicators
• Environmental quality indices

Module 8: Social Dimensions & Policies

• Poverty Eradication
• Participatory development
• Gender and development
• Social analysis

Students will be provided an opportunity to evaluate instruction in this course using the University's standard procedures, which are administered by the Office of Institutional Research.