Bachelor of Arts
(3 courses)
ANTH121 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
This course was my first introduction to learning about societies that did things differently than we do in North America – it opened my eyes to life in developing societies and how different the economic and political structures could be. Identifying group by cultures, rather than countries, was a new concept, and the introduction of the impact that shared culture could have on the physical environment and vice versa, was marked a mental shift in my classification process. In its reframing, this course paved the way for the understanding that GEOG 119/120 would create related to perception of space, as discussed below.
GEOG119 & GEOG120 – Introduction to Human Geography I & II
These two courses created my initial appreciation for the impact that humans have on the environment, primarily as they introduced me to spatial understanding. Before these classes, my learning had been from a strictly theological perspective. The introduction to concepts such as perceptions and attitudes towards physical space, and the shift from environmental determinism to possibilism, created the foundation of my understanding of how human attitudes have exponential impacts on physical space. Though I cannot remember distinctly, I think this learning may have been the start of my viewing literally everything as interconnected, rather than the simpler, dysconnectivity of youth I had leaned on till then.
Master of Business Administration
(2 courses)
BUSN5040 – Global Economics
This course was my introduction to business content, as I had come from an Arts background into the MBA program and here I learned that it was possible to quantify intangible assets (I had very limited math knowledge before this class). This learning was essential to develop my ability to digest work in environmental sustainability – before now I had not been able to understand how any conclusions had been drawn. I did my best to be environmentally friendly knowing it was the right thing, but I was skeptical of environmentalists in general. Understanding the relationship between the macroeconomy and the natural environment in a context of growth, combined with the ability to quantify intangibles, forced me to begin questioning my lackadaisical environmental values – was I part of the problem? Was there more to being part of the solution than simply not using plastic straws?
BUSN6030 – International Business
Discussions of differences in environmental regulation in developed or developing economies opened my eyes to global issues – I had previously viewed the world through a strictly North American perspective, relatively unaware of issues in other countries. Introducing me to classifications of reactive, defensive, accommodative and proactive behaviours in a political context forced a revisiting of personal behaviour under the same classifications. It was eye opening, when I connected these dots to my own negative environmental contributions – I began noticing conversations about climate change and carbon emissions, and actually listening. Adopting a mentality that all behaviour must be proactive at best, or accommodative at least and excluding reactive and defensive behaviors, this class taught me that yes, there is more to environmental care than not using plastic products. This was the start of a mental shift toward sustainability, whereby anything that did not last, would not part of my program.
All completed at Thompson Rivers University, by program.