Corporate Sustainability Management and Strategy

This course provides a foundation in the core concepts and strategic management tools in the dynamic field of global corporate sustainability management. The central aim is to prepare students to design, lead, communicate and collaborate on sustainability innovations that 1) reduce environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk, especially climate risk, and 2) seize opportunities which generate value to both firm and society. The course aims to provide the groundwork for a professional career in sustainability management in multiple contexts (e.g. corporation, university, NGO, etc). Open to all MIIS students, the course is required for students in the Sustainability Management specialization in the IEP Program.

The course covers nine key topics:

• Global sustainability challenges

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Embedded sustainability as global business strategy

• Stakeholder engagement

• ESG Risk

• Sustainability reporting
• Climate risk assessment and reporting

• Sustainable supply chain management

• Business engagement with public policy.

This hands-on, project-based course will build on the skills learned in the introductory GIS course. Working within their discipline, students will develop real-world case studies to practice GIS modeling, perform spatial data analysis, statistical analysis and temporal data analysis, test hypotheses and recommend policy based on their findings. Students will employ project management, database design and troubleshooting techniques applicable to GIS and other fields.

BLUE ECONOMY, INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The purpose of this course is to equip you with an entrepreneurial mindset, provide you with a broad understanding of the blue economy, and introduce you to real world innovations that are tackling the ocean’s greatest challenges.

By the end of the course you will have:

1. Analyzed sectors in ocean economy through the lens of policy, innovation, science and business.

2. Acquired an understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset and developed a toolbox that will serve you in any career

3. Studied ocean startups case studies and developed your own ocean innovation concept.

Throughout the course you will take on the role of three different personas 1. The ocean sector leader, the entrepreneur and the ocean innovator each associated with a class project.

Anishinaabe prophecies talk about the time of the 7th fire, that's when we are told that we will have to make a choice between a scorched path and a green path. That's this time. This class is about that choice, and the prophecy of the 8th fire, the fire of a good life, minobimaatisiiwin. The course will survey Indigenous tenets of sustainability, Indigenous people's rights in the global context, and the practices of sustainability and a just transition. Course themes include: Late Stage Wiindigoo Capitalism--Pandemic as Portal; Indigenous Economics; Cannabis- the New Green Revolution; Solutionary Rail--Transformative Transportation; Seeds, Heritage Foods, and Post Petroleum Agriculture; Energy Transformation; Materials Economy Transformation; Restorative and Economic Justice; Rights of Nature--Landscape Restoration.

Spanning over 70% of Earth, the ocean is the central feature and life-support system for our planet. This two-week intensive course on international marine environmental law focuses on helping students learn to use law as a tool to better manage human activities in, on, under or otherwise affecting the ocean. It will explore global and regional agreements relevant to the law of the sea, shipping, fishing, dumping, biodiversity conservation, land-based sources of marine degradation, and problems related to implementation, effectiveness and enforcement. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the UN Fish Stocks Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity are among the international agreements discussed. While the primary focus of the course is on legal issues, there will be extensive coverage of the interface of legal institutions with science and politics. Key cross-cutting issues include coral reef ecosystem management, dynamic ocean management, polar conservation efforts and governance of the ocean beyond national boundaries.

The course will be conducted using lectures, guest speakers, class presentations, intense discussions and in-class debates. Active student participation is both encouraged and required. A final report due two weeks after class ends will enable the student to conduct in-depth research into an area of their choice. Students will be able to meet individually with the instructor during the course to develop their research reports.

International Crisis Negotiation Exercise

The International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) is a three-day, experiential learning opportunity in diplomacy and negotiations. This year's scenario is based on a hypothetical crisis in the South China Sea. Tensions in the regions have been rising for the last several years with the intensification of rivalry between China and the West, and with maritime disputes between Beijing and regional powers such the Philippines. Up to nine delegations, comprised of students, will try to find diplomatic solutions to a complex set of issues in this crisis. This includes matters involving climate change, resources, militarization, territory, international trade, and governance. The simulation will allow you to think creatively about this region and experience what diplomatic negotiators do to solve real-world issues affecting people globally.

The timeliness of the topic at the national and global scale, is only matched by its political, economic and social relevance. The sustainability of urban areas is assailed by a combination of threats never seen before. At a time when—for the 1st time in history—more than 50% of humans reside in cities, those looming threats demand multidisciplinary approaches both to understand them better and to provide sensible solutions that mitigate the negative effects while amplifying the potential benefits. This class addresses those dimensions (economic, social, environmental, and political) as well as their interactions; it offers a framework under which the potential or already observed impacts are quantified and analyzed; and it surveys the policies implemented around the world. Although there are no explicit pre-requisites, students are expected to have a cursory understanding of economics and basic analytics.