This course, to be held at Oxford University in Spring break 2026, provides an overview of some of humanity's great sustainability challenges: climate, population, sustenance, and waste, biodiversity, adaptation, and environmental justice. The course includes 3 days of class instruction and 3 days in the field meeting with innovative organizations who are dealing with these challenges. Master's students will reside in the residence halls of Kellogg College at Oxford for the entire program. This course is designed to help you develop in three fundamental ways: To learn about the essential environmental and human changes now emerging as the world's ecosystem changes; To think originally and objectively about the social, economic, political, and technological dynamics involved in the world's sustainability crises; To begin work on how you, as a future leader, might be able to address the world's sustainability challenges during your life and career. The course is organized around a central idea: How we address sustainability challenges depends on the perspective we take when trying to understand these challenges. The course is designed to help you to become aware of the power of perspective, and how you can intentionally choose to view challenges from multiple perspectives in order to achieve a more complete understanding and become an effective leader. Specifically, we will discuss three broadly differing perspectives: 1. The behavioral lens: Asking 'Why is this happening?' 2. The technical lens: Asking 'How can this problem be solved?' 3. The moral lens: Asking 'What should be happening?'
2 units · GSB Pass/Fail
This course, to be held at Oxford University in Spring break 2026, provides an overview of some of humanity's great sustainability challenges: climate, population, sustenance, and waste, biodiversity, adaptation, and environmental justice. The course includes 3 days of class instruction and 3 days in the field meeting with innovative organizations who are dealing with these challenges. Master's students will reside in the residence halls of Kellogg College at Oxford for the entire program. This course is designed to help you develop in three fundamental ways: To learn about the essential environmental and human changes now emerging as the world's ecosystem changes; To think originally and objectively about the social, economic, political, and technological dynamics involved in the world's sustainability crises; To begin work on how you, as a future leader, might be able to address the world's sustainability challenges during your life and career. The course is organized around a central idea: How we address sustainability challenges depends on the perspective we take when trying to understand these challenges. The course is designed to help you to become aware of the power of perspective, and how you can intentionally choose to view challenges from multiple perspectives in order to achieve a more complete understanding and become an effective leader. Specifically, we will discuss three broadly differing perspectives: 1. The behavioral lens: Asking 'Why is this happening?' 2. The technical lens: Asking 'How can this problem be solved?' 3. The moral lens: Asking 'What should be happening?'
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.