This course introduces the concept of sustainable development as a policy goal, and explores the complex role of governance systems in promoting or inhibiting sustainability. Four major barriers to environmental sustainability are examined, including: 1) path dependency of policy choices, 2) collective action dilemmas, 3) conflicts over values and beliefs, and 4) the difficulty of translating scientific knowledge about coupled human and natural systems into effective policy solutions. This course emphasizes the understanding of practical solutions to problems of sustainability that are grounded in theories of public policy and management.