Spring 2013 JSIS 478 F, Sustainability and Global Business

Jeffrey Leinaweaver

TTh 10:30-12:20

Business and commerce have tremendous impact on the health of our environment and our society. Globalization of economic activities has created transnational corporations with tremendous power and influence. However, this era of great prosperity also has come with a great cost. Human activities are pushing well beyond the limits of what natural systems can sustain. The current system of commerce is demonstrably and inherently unsustainable. This course will look at concepts of sustainability in the context of global business. At the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of what sustainable choices are available to individuals, communities, and organizations. They will be able to evaluate strategies and trade-offs necessary for the transformation to a more sustainable and equitable global society. They will gain familiarity with systems thinking approaches and global implications of sustainable business challenges and solutions. Perhaps most importantly, they will have a defined context of what sustainability means in which to ground their position on these critical issues. Two weekly lectures, case studies and readings, emphasis on class presentations and team projects. This section for UW students will meet concurrently with another section for visiting international students in the Thematic Studies Abroad program.