Presentation
Interdisciplinary sustainability studies minor
Responsible Fashion: How Do We Make Our Ideas a Reality? Symposium
(2021)
Abstract
This session proposes an innovative, new thought process of teaching sustainability across disciplines through the lens of the fashion industry. The fashion industry is at the forefront of the sustainability crisis our world is facing. Plagued with issues of polluting our waters, over disposal of textiles, underpaid workers, etc., these issues affect every aspect of the fashion industry, making it impossible not to address in the fashion curriculum. Courses in global sourcing, sustainable product development, design, and sociocultural aspects of dress highlight important issues the fashion industry faces and provides students with the necessary tools to address the problem and create innovative solutions.
To achieve effective, sustainable development for the future, there is a critical need to integrate sustainability practices into the curriculum across various disciplines, including urbanization, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, product development, design, energy usage, water availability, and transportation. (Stafford-Smith et al., 2017). The sustainability studies minor is an interdisciplinary program that teaches students creative methods to interrogate, understand, and solve real-life business, social, and environmental problems. Through the lens of design thinking, students can build a solid understanding of principles, processes, and applications of sustainability and innovation, which can be applied to solve perennial problems (Buh et al., 2019). The minor's goal is to provide a curriculum that encourages students to learn to communicate and solve issues of societal relevance that straddle disciplinary boundaries in sustainability and global change. Students will understand the importance of the environment, how societal actions impact it, and the need for sustainability.
As the expectations on corporate social responsibility increase and transparency become more prevalent, companies recognize the need to act on sustainability. Making businesses more sustainable starts with being aware of the issue at hand and understanding just how important it is to make changes, both for the company and the planet.
Keywords
- sustainability,
- interdisciplinary,
- minor
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall November 24, 2021
Location
London, England
Citation Information
Jacqueline Parr and Anupama Pasricha. "Interdisciplinary sustainability studies minor" Responsible Fashion: How Do We Make Our Ideas a Reality? Symposium (2021) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jacqueline-parr/3/