ENVS 436: Design for Circular & Sustainable Business - Syllabus EXAMPLE

Welcome to Design for Circular & Sustainable Business!

I’m excited to teach you!

In this course, you will learn about design and systems thinking. Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that involves understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions to prototype and test. It is a useful strategy for tackling problems that are difficult to define or unknown. Systems thinking focuses on how to think holistically and develop a better understanding of how systems structurally work, identify influential trigger points, and integrate various forms of thinking (e.g., design, biomimicry, circularity). This course is taught from a business perspective but also incorporates other perspectives. The details of this course (title, description, learning outcomes) are from a previous iteration (administrative stuff takes a long time to update in a university!). This course has been adapted in an attempt to reduce redundant content. I will try my best to go at a pace that adequately explains concepts for newcomers as well as cover new content for those who have taken my other courses. This course relies heavily on participation through discussion, activities, exercises, and projects. If this style does not match your expectations or suit your learning style, please feel free to explore other electives that might fit your interests and style better. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we transition this course.
Please peruse this website to get all the information you need for class. I will post class updates here, so please bookmark this site.

SEMESTER: Spring 2024

COURSE: ENVS 336/436

DATE AND TIME: Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00pm

LOCATION: SES 110 [lakeshore campus]

Professor: Sarah Ku [she|her|hers]

Email: sku@luc.edu ***Please EMAIL DIRECTLY*** Do NOT use Sakai

Office: SES building, BVM Hall, 4th floor, Room 417

Student hours: I will be in my office every Tuesday and Wednesday between 5:00-6:00pm for students to drop by, ask questions, hang out, drink kombucha, check out some bugs, etc. These times are specifically dedicated for students so leverage them! If you ever want to meet outside of these days/times, please email me to schedule an appointment to meet in-person or via Zoom.

A little bit about me

My teaching philosophy focuses on cooperative, collaborative relationship-building through mentorship, guidance, encouragement, inspiration, and support. I feel that providing a comfortable environment stimulates participation and engagement. Therefore, I design my courses by prioritizing the development of both hard and soft skills to help y’all be successful in life, not just in the classroom. I foster active discussions and critical thinking through sharing my own experiences and cultivating you all to share your experiences as well. I look forward to getting to know each of you!

Why take my class?

Below are some student testimonials that may give you a better idea about my teaching style to see if it matches your learning style.

Employment

Many students are in school in order to get a better job and make more money. The reason I ask you all your goals in class is so that I can design class to help you develop both hard and soft skills to help you reach your goals. Soft skills are important not only for career development but for life in general. I want to help you all succeed in life, no matter where your future takes you. Therefore, the assignments and activities we do in class are designed to help you learn the course content as well as develop soft skills that are important for professional and personal development. If you’d like to use me as a reference and/or for a letter of recommendation for a job, grad school, etc., please communicate with me to give me a heads up. I am happy to help support you all!

Source: Capgemini employees

LOYOLA Land Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that our university resides on the native homelands of the Indigenous people of the Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe nations, who joined together into the Council of Three Fires. Along with several other tribes, I know that their lives and livelihoods were destroyed in part by the historical events of displacement, conquest, and dehumanization leading up to the establishment of Chicago and Illinois.

I want to remember and honor what was lost, acknowledge how I directly benefit from other people’s pain and loss, and uplift the fortitude and resilience of Indigenous communities surviving and thriving today. I recognize their continued connection to this region and give thanks to them for allowing us to live, work, and learn on their traditional homelands. I offer my respect to their communities and to all Indigenous people, past, present and future.

Course Description

In this course, you will learn about about systems thinking. Systems thinking focuses on how to think holistically and develop a better understanding of how systems structurally work, identify influential trigger points, and integrate various forms of thinking (e.g., design, biomimicry, circularity). This course is taught from a business perspective but also incorporates other perspectives. The details of this course (title, description, learning outcomes) are from a previous iteration (administrative stuff takes a long time to update in a university!). This course has been adapted in an attempt to reduce redundant content. I will try my best to go at a pace that adequately explains concepts for newcomers as well as cover new content for those who have taken my other courses. This course relies heavily on participation through discussion, activities, and exercises rather than formal projects (as stated in the catalog description). If this style does not match your expectations or suit your learning style, please feel free to explore other electives that might fit your interests and style better. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we transition this course.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Describe the concept of systems thinking

2. Identify economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability and analyze their interdependencies in systems and designs

3. Analyze and evaluate systems and designs based on the dimensions of sustainability

4. Apply sustainability dimensions and systems thinking into designing creative, holistic solutions to human problems

5. Share knowledge and ideas

Course Methodology

The central theme of this course will be the study and evaluation of designs for circular and sustainable business. We will do this by exploring systems thinking and biomimicry. The primary teaching tools are lectures, class discussions, videos, speakers, quizzes, and projects. You are expected to read, watch, and listen to the designated material and all other assigned content before class. Please note that I video record class lectures and post them on this website to improve accessibility. Offering these recordings is done with the understanding and trust that they will not be used in any way against me or students whose classroom comments are recorded.

Required Text | Materials

Required

• Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer.
  Chelsea Green Publishing. {You do NOT need this on the first day of class. I will discuss access options on the first day}

• Access to the internet

• Access to software

  • Sakai

  • Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint

  • Adobe Acrobat

  • Zoom

  Tech support: ITSServiceDesk@luc.edu or 773-508-4487

• I will provide links/files to articles, readings, videos, audios, etc. on this website

Additional resources

• d.school – Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University

• Biomimicry Institute

• Design Kit

• Biomimicry 3.8 (consulting)

• The Circular Design Guide

• The Circular Classroom

• Circular Design Toolkit for Sustainable Future

• Ask Nature

General Policies

This syllabus is subject to change based on the needs of this class.

• You are expected to attend class, come prepared, and participate to maximize your learning. I am here to help you learn and am likewise responsible for coming to class prepared to accomplish the objectives listed in this syllabus.

• Be punctual for class. When you are tardy, you miss important course announcements and disrupt the learning process for others. If you do arrive late or must leave early, please do so quietly and respectfully.

• If you cannot attend class or are late, you are only doing a disservice to yourself. College is about preparing you for life. Time management and prioritization are important skills to learn. You pay to take this class! Therefore, if you do not attend, you voluntarily forfeit the opportunity to participate in activities and discussions. You are responsible for the material you miss. If you know in advance that you will be late or absent from class, please email me to let me know. Your employer would require notice upon missing or being late to work; I expect to receive the same courtesy. Likewise, I will provide as much notice as possible if I need to cancel class or move it online.

• Complete all assignments on time. If you fail to meet deadlines, you will not receive full credit.

• Be courteous and respectful to me and to your fellow students. Put away cell phones and other distractions. If you choose to use a laptop in class, please sit in the back row so that your screen activity does not distract other students. This class is designed to benefit you, so take advantage and engage!

• While I encourage you to participate in class discussions and team activities, I understand that students absorb knowledge in various ways. I intentionally provide content through a variety of outlets (e.g., reading, videos, audios, activities) to be inclusive of different learning styles. I will regularly solicit your feedback to better provide knowledge and content in ways that work for you.

• I will treat you all with respect, courtesy, and empathy. I ask that you treat me and each other the same way. Bullying and all forms of harassment will not be tolerated. Please reach out to me if you feel that you are a subject of any form of bullying or harassment, whether it occurs in our classroom or elsewhere. 

• You may eat in class as long as you are quiet, not disruptive, and you clean up after yourself. I may bring food for you all during the semester. Please let me know if you have any allergies or concerns and please don’t sue me for sharing food in good faith.

• Ask questions and have fun!

Inclusivity

Addressing one another by using appropriate names and gender pronouns honors and affirms individuals of all gender identities and gender expressions. Misgendering and heteronormative language excludes the experiences of individuals whose identities may not fit the gender binary, and/or who may not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth.

If you wish, please share your pronouns with me and the class when you introduce yourself. If you do not wish to be called by the name that appears in the Loyola system, please let me know. My goal is to create inclusive and affirming environments for all students.

If you feel comfortable, please also share any other concerns with me that relate to how you learn and how you are feeling in class. I cannot guarantee that our classroom will feel like a safe space to you. But I promise to try my best to make everyone feel included, heard, and valued to facilitate a safe and comfortable environment.

Please also reach out to the Student Accessibility Center (SAC) and Wellness Center to leverage their resources. All clickable links on this webpage are both a maroon color and also underlined in case colors are difficult to differentiate.

Evaluation Criteria

Grading

A+ = 98–100
A   = 94–97.99
A-  = 90–93.99
B+ = 87–89.99
B   = 84–86.99
B-  = 80–83.99
C+ = 77–79.99
C   = 74–76.99
C-  = 70–73.99
[Anything below C- is not passing]
D+ = 67–69.99
D   = 64–66.99
D-  = 60–63.99
F < 60

Late Work

No late work will be accepted. If you are late and unreliable in a job, you will be fired. Consequences exist in school, too. Please take responsibility for your actions and do not ask for exceptions to this policy. Welcome to college and the real world! 

That being said, I am not unreasonable. I recognize that we are living in uncertain times with multiple economic, environmental, social, and health concerns that are beyond our control. I will work with you on a case-by-case basis as needed. But you MUST communicate with me in as much advance notice as possible. I cannot accommodate you if you don’t communicate with me. I don’t need to know the details of what is going on in your life, but you have to give me a heads up. If you don’t ask for help, you likely won’t get it. But if you ask, you just might. These are important life lessons!

Due dates
Every week.

Due dates
Every Tuesday at the beginning of class.

Description | Format
The Abrams Sustainability Business Challenge is held every year to bring new sustainable business ideas to life. This challenge is a high-level sustainable business pitch competition. Participating in this challenge counts as your team project. Each team must have 2-4 members and we will form these groups in class during the first week based on shared values.

Teams must first register by 02/05: Register here

Round 1 requires the following:

• A written executive summary (no more than two pages, single-spaced) with a clear explanation of the business concept and value proposition.
  Download Executive Summary Template.

• A 3-minute video pitch of the business concept and value proposition.
  Submission Deadline:  02/26 by midnight

Grading

• 2-page executive summary  [15%]
  I will grade these using the same criteria as the Abrams judges

• 3-min video pitch  [15%]
  The point of a video pitch is like an elevator pitch— How can you quickly grab someone’s attention with an interesting and memorable idea? The point is not to include everything from the executive summary; you already did that! Think about commercials and advertisements that effectively pulled you in and try to emulate the same strategies and techniques. Wanna use TikTok? Great! Is someone in your group good at drawing/animation? Go for it! Be creative and have fun with this! Make sure you clearly present your business concept and value proposition. Think SharkTank!

• Team member peer evaluation  [5%]
  You will grade each other in order to practice giving and receiving criticism, and also to hold each other accountable. Rubric to be determined.

Due dates

• Registration
  Teams must register by 02/05: Register here

• Round 1 submission (2-pg executive summary + 3-min video pitch)
  Teams must submit their 2-page executive summary and 3-min video pitch by 02/26

• Team member evaluation
  You will evaluate your teammates
  

Workshops

• TBD
  

Awards

Need some inspiration?

Grading
Your fellow classmates and I will review your work and share feedback as part of their participation grade. We will follow the rubric to the right.

Due dates
04/23: All grad students will present their project in person on the last day of class. If you do not attend to support your fellow classmates, I will take 10 points off your Participation grade.

• Wellness Center

• Student Accessibility Center

• Coordinated Assistance & Resource Education (CARE)

• Ethics Hotline - Phone: 885.603.6988

• Sakai support

• Library - Subject specialist: http://libraries.luc.edu/specialists 

• Writing Center

• Technology support - 773-508-4487; helpdesk@luc.edu

• Center for Tutoring and Academic Excellence

• Loyola Bookstore

• Financial Aid

SAKAI

You are expected to be proficient in the use of Sakai. Sakai is the learning management system (LMS) that will be used for your online course. Specifically, you should be able to:

• Read, upload, and download files

• Read and send e-mail messages

• Read and post messages on the discussion board

• Hold chat room discussions

If you are unfamiliar with Sakai, a good place to start is: https://www.luc.edu/its/itrs/teachingwithtechnology/sakai/. Please refer to this website for log-in instructions if you are new to Sakai. You are expected to check Sakai daily for any changes, updates, and announcements. You are responsible for accessing and downloading all files needed. IT support and/or Sakai experts (not me) are responsible for assisting you with any problems related to Sakai. If you have any problems downloading or viewing files of any type or size from Sakai, please use the resources listed below:

• Accessibility issues
  https://www.luc.edu/sac/accessibilityguidelines/sakaiaccessibility/

• Sakai support
  sakai@luc.edu 

• Technology support
  773-508-4487
  helpdesk@luc.edu
  LUC.edu/its

evaluations | feedback

Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Loyola University Chicago. Upon completing this course, please take time to fill out a course evaluation through Loyola as well as on RateMyProfessor. I can’t improve my teaching without knowing what I’m doing wrong and what I’m doing right, so I will ask for your feedback throughout the semester.

Tentative Schedule

Disclaimer: This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. However, deviations may be necessary and all elements are subject to change on short notice. This schedule is subject to change at any time, but I will do my best to provide ample communication when changes occur. You are responsible for checking this website for updates.

In-class topics

• Syllabus and course overview

• Get to know each other, develop class norms

• In-class reflection

In-class topics

• History, background, shifts, dominant perspectives

• ACTIVITY: Abrams Challenge

In-class topics

• Quiz on week 2 topics + deliverables due

• Terms

• Vision and mission statements

• Workshopping activity for Abrams teams: Pick a team

Deliverables due

• Watch video: “What indigenous innovations can teach us | Julia Watson”

• GoogleDoc with Abrams ideas:
  Please put your name by up to TWO (2) ideas that you are interested in

• Tuesday, 01/30: Abrams Challenge Information Session, 12:00pm on Zoom (register here)

• Monday, 02/05: Abrams Challenge Registration Deadline (register here)

In-class topics

• Quiz on week 3 topics + deliverables due

• Design thinking + examples

• ACTIVITY: Chairs

• Constraints for creativity

Deliverables due

• REGISTER FOR ABRAMS by Monday, 02/05:
  Abrams Challenge Registration Deadline (register here)

• Please update the GoogleDoc with updated information (e.g., team members, name, general idea) of what you submitted for registration
  (I don’t have access to what you submitted!)

• Read article: “Moneythink Mobile“

• Monday, 02/05: Abrams Challenge Registration Deadline (register here)

In-class topics

• Quiz on week 4 topics + deliverables due

• Class debate: Terracycle

• Abrams team time - worksheets

Deliverables due

• Please update the GoogleDoc with updated information (e.g., team members, name, general idea) of what you submitted for registration
  (I don’t have access to what you submitted!)

• Watch video: “Is TerraCycle's Recycling Dream a Fantasy?“

• Watch video: “I went behind the scenes at TERRACYCLE to find out if they're GREENWASHING“

In-class topics

• Biomimicry

• Example: Mealworms + styrofoam

Deliverables due

• Watch video on biomimicry

• Monday, 02/26: Abrams Round 1 Submission Deadline: Video Pitch and Executive Summary

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 1: The Basics" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Watch all team pitches and vote on class winner

• Provide mid-semester feedback

• Chapter review

• Watch Abrams videos, vote on class team winner

• Team member peer evaluation

Deliverables due

• Monday, 02/26: Abrams Round 1 Submission Deadline: Video Pitch and Executive Summary

• Read Chapter 1 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Read article: “Five Tips For Giving And Receiving Feedback For Performance Enhancement”

• Monday, 02/26: Abrams Round 1 Submission Deadline: Video Pitch and Executive Summary

• TBD: Team member peer evaluation

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 2: A Brief Visit to the Systems Zoo" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

• 6 sources of influence

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 2 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Read article “Degrowth Can Support Business Sustainability”

• Thursday, 03/14 - Friday, 3/15: Loyola Climate Change Conference
  Time: TBD
  Location: TBD

***Extra credit***
+2 points to a quiz grade for each day you attend
(email me proof)

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 3: Why Systems Work So Well" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 3 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Watch video on mushrooms

• 03/20 - 03/27: Abrams finalists are notified of moving to Round 2

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 4: Why Systems Surprise Us" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 4 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Watch video on plastic bricks for schools

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 5: System Traps…and Opportunities" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 5 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• TBD: Watch Zipline Rober video

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 6: Leverage Point—Places to Intervene in a System" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

• Abrams team time

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 6 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Read article “Can One Person Really Make a Difference?”

• Optional reflection to replace quiz grade - Due by 11:59pm Central Time on Discussions section in Sakai

In-class topics

• Quiz on "Chapter 7: Living in a World of Systems" from Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer + deliverables due

• Chapter review

• Abrams team time

Deliverables due

• Read Chapter 7 in Donella Meadow’s book Thinking in Systems: A Primer

• Friday, 02/19: Abrams final pitch competition!
  Time: 1:00-4:00pm
  Location: TBD

***Extra credit***
+2 points to Team video pitch grade if you attend
(email me proof)

In-class topics

• Grad student presentations
  If you do not attend class to be present for your classmates' presentations, your total presentation grade will automatically be deducted 10 points for each presentation day you miss

• Reflection

• Class recap, wrap up, class picture

Deliverables due

• Submit project

• Complete feedback in class