Course title
8M4260001
Principles of Sustainable Development for Engineers

HENRY MICHAEL WARD
Course content
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in September 2015, lay out a 15-year vision for building a more sustainable world by tackling global poverty, inequality, and climate change. All fields of engineering play an important role in developing solutions to tackle these issues, so it is critical that current and future engineers develop the necessary background knowledge on sustainable development to help them explore sustainability challenges in their engineering field.
Purpose of class
This course is intended to provide students with a fundamental background on the concept of sustainable development and how to consider sustainability in engineering systems. The basics of sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals - spanning the environmental, social, economic, and governance dimensions - will be introduced, along with examples of modern issues. Means for assessing sustainability will also be presented through the use of indicators to represent both simple and complex systems. Finally, the role of engineering in achieving a more sustainable society will be discussed, with sustainable infrastructure used as an example of how civil engineers are approaching the challenge of balancing social and environmental impacts with socio-economic benefits.
Goals and objectives
  1. Students can explain and discuss the concept of sustainable development, its aspects, and issues
  2. Students can understand and select appropriate indicators for assessing the sustainability of a system
  3. Students can identify and discuss sustainability issues in engineering systems
  4. Students can propose and conduct independent research on a sustainability-related topic
  5. Students can prepare a paper and presentation in English on their research topic
Relationship between 'Goals and Objectives' and 'Course Outcomes'

In-class exercises Assignments Final presentation Final paper Total.
1. 10% 10% 0% 5% 25%
2. 5% 10% 0% 5% 20%
3. 5% 10% 0% 5% 20%
4. 0% 0% 5% 5% 10%
5. 0% 0% 5% 20% 25%
Total. 20% 30% 10% 40% -
Language
English
Class schedule

Class schedule HW assignments (Including preparation and review of the class.) Amount of Time Required
1. Guidance and icebreaking Review materials 30minutes
2. Basics of sustainable development: paradigms and definitions Review materials 30minutes
Report 1 300minutes
3. Basics of sustainable development: achieving sustainability Review materials 30minutes
4. Basics of sustainable development: representations of driving factors Review materials 30minutes
5. Basics of sustainable development: factors governing sustainability Review materials 30minutes
6. Basics of sustainable development: determinants of sustainable development Review materials 30minutes
Report 2 300minutes
7. Basics of sustainable development: Operationalization by frameworks Review materials 30minutes
8. Quantification and assessment: introduction to indicators Review materials 30minutes
9. Quantification and assessment: individual and composite indicators Review materials 30minutes
10. Quantification and assessment: sustainability indicators exercise Review materials 30minutes
Report 3 300minutes
11. Sustainable engineering systems: from SD to sustainable engineering Review materials 30minutes
12. Sustainable engineering systems: experiences with concrete sustainability (1) Review materials 30minutes
13. Sustainable engineering systems: experiences with concrete sustainability (2) Review materials 30minutes
14. Final presentations Final presentation 240minutes
Final report 900minutes
Total. - - 2430minutes
Evaluation method and criteria
Students will be evaluated based on their demonstrated achievement of the course goals through: In-class participation (20%), Assignments (30%), Final presentation (10%), Final paper (40%).
Feedback on exams, assignments, etc.
ways of feedback specific contents about "Other"
Feedback in outside of the class (ScombZ, mail, etc.)
Textbooks and reference materials
Handouts and support materials will be shared via the LMS system on Scomb.
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge of civil engineering is necessary.
Office hours and How to contact professors for questions
  • Available via email or direct consultation with appointment.
Regionally-oriented
Non-regionally-oriented course
Development of social and professional independence
  • Course that cultivates an ability for utilizing knowledge
Active-learning course
More than one class is interactive
Course by professor with work experience
Work experience Work experience and relevance to the course content if applicable
N/A N/A
Education related SDGs:the Sustainable Development Goals
  • 1.NO POVERTY
  • 2.ZERO HUNGER
  • 3.GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
  • 4.QUALITY EDUCATION
  • 5.GENDER EQUALITY
  • 6.CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
  • 7.AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
  • 8.DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
  • 9.INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
  • 10.REDUCED INEQUALITIES
  • 11.SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
  • 12.RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION
  • 13.CLIMATE ACTION
  • 14.LIFE BELOW WATER
  • 15.LIFE ON LAND
  • 16.PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
  • 17.PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
Last modified : Sat Jun 29 04:40:45 JST 2024