Innovative Courses
The Schiller Institute regularly expands our聽course offerings to respond to pressing societal challenges. Our courses cover a wide range of topics and specializations鈥攂ringing together the sciences, humanties and the arts to discover new knowledge to serve the common good.聽
The Schiller Institute co-sponors the Global Public Health and the Common Good Major and Minor. Visit the Connell School of Nursing site for details.聽
As one of the defining issues of our time, climate change touches every thread of the social fabricate. Also, what we choose to do (or not to do) has long-lasting implications for many generations to come. This interdisciplinary course, to be co-taught by the three core faculty members of the Schiller Institute, focuses on the intersection of sustainable growth, renewable energy and climate science. Designed for graduate students as well as junior/senior undergraduate students in STEM, the course aims to provide a comprehensive, yet in-depth overview of the complex interrelationships between these key areas and how they may interact to shape the future of our planet. (Interested non-STEM students are encouraged to reach out to the instructors about course requirements.)
The course starts with the challenges and opportunities associated with transitioning to a more sustainable economy. Students will then learn about the current state of food production, energy production, water supply, consumption and technology. It concludes with the foundational knowledge of climate and water resource sciences. The course also includes a term-long research project where students will work in teams to apply course concepts to real-world scenarios, analyze data, and develop solutions to achieving one of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the complex interplays between sustainability, energy and climate, and will be able to think creatively about different technological and policy solutions to the most pressing problems in these areas. They will also develop skills in critical analysis and communication, which will be useful in a variety of fields related to the grand challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:45am in 245 Beacon Street, room 229
This course is a one-credit professional development course featuring meetings with leaders engaged in both聽for-profit聽and聽social聽entrepreneurship, and whose organizations are aligned with the Schiller Institute's mission to serve the common good, focusing on our three core areas: energy, environment, and health.This course offers opportunities for students in any Boston College major to develop an understanding of entrepreneurship, and skills in communication, business, and networking while having unique opportunities to connect with leaders and innovators working on the cutting-edge of these fields.聽
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the entrepreneurial mindset and the student鈥檚 relationship to it.聽
- Assess an entrepreneurial organization鈥檚 history and structure with respect to the steps in the entrepreneurial process.
- Communicate effectively with entrepreneurs and about entrepreneurship.
Thursdays, 3:00-4:30pm in 245 Beacon Street, room 215
As one of the defining issues of our time, climate change touches every thread of the social fabricate. Also, what we choose to do (or not to do) has long-lasting implications for many generations to come. This interdisciplinary course, to be co-taught by the three core faculty members of the Schiller Institute, focuses on the intersection of sustainable growth, renewable energy and climate science. Designed for graduate students as well as junior/senior undergraduate students in STEM, the course aims to provide a comprehensive, yet in-depth overview of the complex interrelationships between these key areas and how they may interact to shape the future of our planet. (Interested non-STEM students are encouraged to reach out to the instructors about course requirements.)
The course starts with the challenges and opportunities associated with transitioning to a more sustainable economy. Students will then learn about the current state of food production, energy production, water supply, consumption and technology. It concludes with the foundational knowledge of climate and water resource sciences. The course also includes a term-long research project where students will work in teams to apply course concepts to real-world scenarios, analyze data, and develop solutions to achieving one of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the complex interplays between sustainability, energy and climate, and will be able to think creatively about different technological and policy solutions to the most pressing problems in these areas. They will also develop skills in critical analysis and communication, which will be useful in a variety of fields related to the grand challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:45am in 245 Beacon Street, room 229