Using STARS to Develop Sustainability Literacy in a Graduate Accounting Course

Higher education stakeholders urge faculty to develop students’ sustainability literacy. Jesuit institutions commit to aligning with Laudato Si’ Priorities and implementing the Inspirational Paradigm. Business school accreditors set standards for integrating sustainability into curricula, while Associations for Higher Education enable sustainability performance measurement and assessment. Also, the accounting profession expects graduates with sustainability-related competencies. Consequently, faculty are challenged to design assignments that develop students’ sustainability literacy without compromising pre-existing learning objectives. This article describes a new term project in a graduate accounting course, using one University’s sustainability reporting system as a living lab, and leveraging the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm as learning milestones. This article discusses project ideation, assignment design, implementation guidelines, and positive stakeholder impacts, inviting faculty to explore this approach to integrating sustainability education.