Top Summer Courses in Sustainability Studies

The University of St Andrews International Summer Programme offers students aged 16 to 18 the opportunity to experience lectures and tutorials taught in the Scottish academic tradition. During their time in St Andrews students will become familiar with a number of the same lecturers and tutors that they could potentially encounter while pursuing an undergraduate degree in an ancient institution ranked 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2018, Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2017).

The Sustainable Development course will cover the basic ideas and debates associated with sustainable development as well as exploring and discussing a number of illustrative local and global sustainable development cases. By applying basic ideas to the case studies students will be given an insight into how sustainable development is fairing and how it could be improved in the future. The course benefits from contributions from the School of Geography and Sustainable Development as well as stakeholders representing local sustainable development initiatives. It is designed to be an interactive, engaging, and hands-on learning experience with content being delivered in the format of lectures underpinned by tutorials and field trips to relevant St Andrews and Fife destinations. The main objective of this course is to inspire students to think outside the conventional box of production and consumption when considering and exploring pathways towards a more sustainable future.... [-]

To register for a summer session course, complete and submit the Undergraduate Registration form, found on the Registrar's Office Forms page. Registration begins March 1.

France: Culture and Society in Medieval Burgundy

This program offers students first-hand experience of living at the place of SMC's origins in Burgundy – a 12th-century abbey – while studying medieval history and culture in its original context. Classes held every other day in Pontigny prepare students for site visits the next day to castles, churches, cathedrals, battlefields, abbeys, archeological excavations, towns and cities, museums and libraries. In this way reading, studying and exploring the material remains of this culture are integrated.... [-]

»ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STRATEGIES«

LEARN TO OPTIMIZE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS TO DESIGN SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS FOR THE FUTURE

The building sector is responsible for a large proportion of the world’s consumption of energy and resources, and has a significant environmental impact. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important and architects and planners have a great influence on the environmental performance of a building from the very beginning of the planning process. In a short design phase of several months, they define the environmental impacts a building will have over the next fifty or one hundred years.

This course teaches how to optimize the environmental performance of building design using digital tools and design strategies. The theoretical background will be given in form of short input presentations by different experts. This mini-lectures include cycle-orientated design concepts, cradle to cradle, reuse, energy and resource efficiency, and life cycle assessment. In addition, various tool for environmental performance assessment will be introduced, e.g. eLCA, CAALA, Grasshopper plugins including ArchSim/Diva/Ladybug/Honeybee. These approaches and tools will be directly applied within this course for a small design project.... [-]

This course introduces students to the role of finance in the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. Mitigating and adapting to climate change while simultaneously realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires the deployment of large amounts of capital – capital which isn’t currently provided in sufficient amounts. Moreover, climate change poses a significant risk to economies and financial systems alike. At the same time, there are substantial opportunities in financing the green transformation and in aligning investments and finance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

The course enables students to understand and apply key concepts in climate and sustainable finance, the role of climate and other environmental risks in creating potential financial risks in banking and capital markets, and the role of financial actors in driving a global transition and aligning capital markets with climate and sustainability goals.... [-]

This course aims to provide participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical tools to understand and meet the challenges that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pose for governments devising public policies and delivery strategies to achieve them.

Since their formulation in 2015, the SDGs have entered the policy discourse of many developing countries, affecting policy-making and implementation processes. Rather than discussing the SDGs and their implications for development, this course will focus directly on the political and administrative capacities needed to pursue SDGs successfully. Issues that will be covered include strengthening of governance and stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, improvement of policy analysis and decision-making capabilities, advancement of public financial management systems and accountability, and the role that management control, monitoring and evaluation have in pursuing the SDGs.... [-]

Join a small community of students interested in moving beyond “green” toward understanding what will be necessary to achieve a truly sustainable future. Learning and living together with a group of equally concerned and engaged people, you will explore how Smith College and our neighboring communities are practicing the ideals and principles of sustainability. We’ll talk about what is working, and what still needs to be done.