The Research Institute of Anthropology (Director Lee Sang-min) at The Catholic University of Korea (President Choi Jun-gyu) has published a three-volume series, At the Threshold of Sustainability. This series encapsulates six years of interdisciplinary research exploring the intersection of character education and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication is a key outcome of the "Boundary-Modular CUK Character Education Course Development Research" project, a Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute Support Project (Education-Linked Type) funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea from 2019 to 2025.

Since its establishment in 1978, the Research Institute of Anthropology has accumulated research on human existence, relationships, ethics, and community, all centered on the fundamental question, "What is a human being?" This series is praised as a representative achievement, merging the academic traditions of theology, philosophy, and ethics from the university, which is celebrating its 170th anniversary, with the humanities- and social sciences-based educational practices of the institute.

At the Threshold of Sustainability presents three paths that expand from anthropology to sustainability: ▲Field (Climate Crisis and Ecological Sensitivity), ▲Ethics (Character Education and the Faithful Response), and ▲Institution (Restructuring Social Systems based on SDGs). This series demonstrates how the unique questions of anthropology can lead to educational, policy, and community-based practices.

Volume 1, Sustainable Earth, A Quiet But Clear Voice, includes contributions from professional journalists, Greenpeace activists, and forestry researchers who have experienced the climate crisis firsthand. It reframes various climate issues—such as marine ecosystem destruction, wildfires, floods, plastic pollution, and species extinction—through ecological sensitivity rather than just scientific language. This volume showcases a field-centered, practical form of humanities and prompts a rethinking of the human-nonhuman boundary. It also includes rich visual materials, making it a valuable educational resource.

Volume 2, A Sustainable Heart, If We Are Not to Give Up on Each Other, addresses the internal response and communal solidarity of believers in the face of contemporary challenges like the climate crisis and social inequality. Focused on the theme of "a heart that does not give up on one another" amid social crises such as an aging population, educational disparities, and health rights, it reexamines the ethical calling of theology through a "faith-life-education" trilogy. Furthermore, it expands the discourse on sustainability with theological and humanistic reflection, proposing a new character education model where "faith questions and education responds."

Volume 3, Sustainable Future, The Story We Will Write from Now On, involved humanities and social sciences researchers and activists in the search for institutional sustainability and global solidarity. It empirically explores how character education connects with institutions in social domains like urban development, consumption ethics, ESG management, multicultural coexistence, and the restoration of public forums. It also suggests interdisciplinary action strategies for achieving the SDGs, earning recognition as a pioneering humanistic project that seeks "education beyond education."

Director Lee Sang-min of the Research Institute of Anthropology explained, "This series is a popular humanities and social sciences book that translates professional content into something that citizens and university students can easily connect with. Volume 2, in particular, is highly significant as a pioneering attempt to academically establish the intersection of public ethics and education based on doctrinal authority, with official approval from the Archdiocese of Seoul."

He added, "I hope this series, which presents three paths—climate ethics, faithful response, and institutional sustainability—based on the fundamental inquiry of anthropology, will not only deepen university character education but also expand widely as a practical model in public policy and civic education."