Course Descriptions - Undergraduate Calendar 2023-2024

Introduction to foundational concepts in sustainability through an exploration of the interaction between business, society, and the natural environment from multiple perspectives. The course will emphasize ways to mobilize inclusive blended knowledge for sustainability and innovation.

This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and tools of microeconomics and macroeconomics from the perspective of economic approaches to the environment.

This course is an examination of a variety of social issues in sustainability. Foundational topics include human rights, labour, gender equality, children's rights, education, and diversity and engagement of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities.

A course offered from time to time on a significant sustainability management issue.

This course is an exploration of carbon markets and regulations. It investigates best practices in greenhouse gas measurement and management in the focal firm and across the supply chain, including greenhouse gas information management system, verification and auditing processes, and strategies for emission reductions target setting.

This course focuses jointly on business ethics and the ethics of sustainability. Ethical issues commonly encountered by finance and accounting professionals are explored. Ethical issues regarding the compatibility of commercial activity and sustainability are also examined with a particular lens on the role of corporate governance, culture, and social responsibility.

This course examines financial market tools, processes, and institutions which influence the environmental and the channels by which they can be utilized to promote sustainable and socially responsible long-term growth.

Social policy regulation and policy identifies acceptable and unacceptable activities by governments, business, and society. This course examines the formal and informal policies, laws, regulations, and norms that act to restrict practices that threaten to undermine social welfare and the equitable distribution of benefits. Topics include governmental laws and regulations, tax policy, corporate social responsibility and accountability, social license, and the role of mass media.

This course provides students hands-on training in strategic integration of sustainability objectives and measurement within the firm with guidance from industry experts and supervision by faculty. This will generally be the first course that students take when they join the Sustainability Integration team. Junior strategists will attend consulting group meetings, assist in firm research and materiality assessments, and assist in the preparation of consulting reports/recommendations.

This course provides students hands-on training in strategic integration of sustainability objectives and measurement within the firm with guidance from industry experts and supervision by faculty. This course is normally taken after a student has completed one term as a junior strategist with the consulting group. Senior strategists interface with firm representatives, lead the consulting student team, and oversee consulting reports/recommendations.

This course examines approaches and methodologies used by firms to understand and measure the value added by social and human capital, to assess positive and negative impacts, and to provide information for decision-making that informs and influences external and internal stakeholders.

This course examines approaches and methodologies used by firms to understand and measure natural capital, to assess positive and negative impacts on natural resources, and to provide information for decision-making that informs and influences external and internal stakeholders.

This capstone course will review channels by which social, human, natural, and financial capital feed into strategic planning and environmental risk management. Students examine effective and ineffective attempts to embed an understanding of the interdependency among social, human, sustainability, and financial factors and complete a project critically analyzing the planning, reporting, and/or risk management practices of a firm.

This course examines the impact of sustainability regulation and policy on the natural environment including impact assessments, conservation/resource management plans, pollution and waste licensing, and tax policy from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, including governments, businesses, and society. The course will review a range of existing and proposed policy and regulation to evaluate the efficiency of each approach to obtain broad sustainability objectives.

Behavioural finance examines the role that emotions and irrational preferences have on investor decision making. This course examines the psychology of investment preferences for retail investors and how these influence financial analysts and investment management. Particular focus is placed on popular media influences and how current trends influence investment decisions and how those decisions impact corporate sustainability practices.

In this capstone students will consider the sustainability performance of an entity from a number of perspectives including tracking, reporting, communications, regulations, ethical considerations, and compensation.

A course offered from time to time on a significant sustainability reporting and measurement issue.

A course offered from time to time on a significant sustainability finance issue.

A course offered from time to time on a significant sustainability accounting issue.