A group of students working on laying down mulch during greenfest.

Sustainability

Our increasingly complex and interdependent world needs critical thinkers with strong problem-solving skills who are able to address the long-term viability of social-ecological systems. The Interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability seeks to give students a broad understanding of environmental, socioeconomic, and humanistic systems through interdisciplinary academic preparation, community engagement, and cross-campus collaboration so that they can help develop local and global solutions for a sustainable future.


Contact

Dr. Casey King

Director of Sustainability
Lecturer in Environmental Studies
cking10@unca.edu

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Students being taught in one of the learning kitchens at UNC Asheville's Sherill Center.

Food, Food Systems and Culture

The Interdisciplinary Certificate in Food, Food Systems and Culture focuses on developing the student as an informed consumer of food by providing a platform for discussion of what we eat, why we eat, where our food comes from and its journey from production to consumption, and how food affects our bodies, health and lives.

Certificate Requirements

The Food, Food Systems and Culture Certificate requires the completion of a minimum of 4 courses and 12 semester hours as follows. All courses used for the certificate must be completed at UNC Asheville. The certificate may only be completed in conjunction with the completion of an undergraduate degree at UNC Asheville.

At least one course must be chosen from the listing of Food-focused courses. Food-focused courses have food, food systems or food culture as a central theme and consistently offer students an intentionally interdisciplinary experience (e.g. cross-course project or other high impact pedagogical practice). The remaining three or more courses may be chosen from Food-focused or Food-related courses, following the distribution guidelines required of all interdisciplinary certificates. Other courses may be substituted with approval of the certificate coordinator.

Sample courses include Plants and Humans (biology), The Food of Chemistry, Food Politics and Nutrition Policy, and Pathophysiology of Chronic Conditions and Illnesses.

Interdisciplinary certificates may only be completed in conjunction with the completion of an undergraduate degree at UNC Asheville.

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Contemplative Inquiry

The Certificate in Contemplative Inquiry focuses on creating opportunities for greater inquiry, connection, reflection, insight, and communication. It does so by nurturing and supporting students’ practical and critical first-person experience and inquiry through the use of varied contemplative practices, including mindfulness techniques, meditation, focused thought exercises, beholding, deep listening, reflective writing, contemplative movement, and dialogue.

Contact

Dr. Melissa Mahoney
Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Certificate in Contemplative Inquiry & Associate Professor of Economics
828.251.6672
mmahoney@unca.edu