This course situates rural studies in its contemporary theoretical contexts and provides an elaboration of some of the core concepts used in the Rural Studies program. Students explore a range of sustainable development theoretical perspectives in the context of rural communities and landscape systems, and increase understanding of multiple disciplinary vantage points.

This course builds upon theoretical grounding developed in Sustainable Rural Systems I. Students work with their advisor to prepare and present a paper on sustainable development theory in the rural communities and environment context as it pertains to their research interests.

This course examines the nature, language and tools of established knowledge systems, including ontology, epistemology, and methodology. Students explore social science research design and evaluation with a focus on measures of sustainability and interdisciplinary applications.

This course builds upon research methods knowledge established in Integrative Research Methods I. Students apply research design and evaluation principles with a focus on interdisciplinarity through the review and critique of successful dissertations and the development of their own research proposal.