This interdisciplinary SMU - X course challenges students to reimagine the purpose and power of capital in shaping a sustainable future. Students will explore how financial systems, policy and investment tools can be restructured to align with planetary boundaries, ecological integrity, and social equity. Emphasizing applied and experiential learning, the course integrates academic theory with real-world case studies and practitioner engagement. Through collaborative work, students will undertake a meaningful project proposed by the course industry partner, connected to how public and private sector actors govern flows of capital and how those decisions impact biodiversity, climate, and communities. Drawing on systems thinking, students will gain exposure to sustainability policy frameworks, green taxonomies, carbon and nature accounting and financial instruments.
With mentorship from faculty and the industry partner, students will co-design actionable interventions and assess the credibility and integrity of sustainability-related claims and products. Projects and class discussions will foster critical engagement with pressing challenges such as greenwashing, climate and nature-related risk, and institutional accountability. While academically rigorous, this course also cultivates personal and professional development. Students will strengthen their analytical, communication, and teamwork skills as they develop solutions for real-world sustainability problems. Although no prior experience in finance or policy is required, students should come prepared to challenge assumptions and think systemically.
By the end of the course, students will have produced an actionable deliverable which was proposed as the course challenge by the course industry partner.
