Course Descriptions
ENV 1100. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.
Cat. I
The study of environmental problems and their solutions requires an interdisciplinary approach. This course will examine current environmental issues from the intersection of several key disciplines including: environmental philosophy and history, environmental policy, and science. The course will develop these different approaches for analyzing environmental problems, explore the tensions between them, and present a framework for integrating them. Topics such as environmental justice, developing nations, globalization, and climate change policy will be explored.
ENV 2200. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES IN THE DISCIPLINES.
Cat. II
Many disciplines contribute to the study of the environment. This course presents an overview some of these disciplines, which may include: biology, chemistry, geography, public policy and economics and how they help us understand environmental problems and solutions. Through an examination of the assumptions made and lenses used by different disciplines students will gain insight into how different actors and institutions frame environmental issues and how to overcome barriers to communication between disciplines. To ground the exploration of these disciplines contemporary environmental issues and policy programs will be explored.
Recommended background: ENV 1100.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ENV 2400. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
Cat. II
This course examines how people think about and behave toward the environment. Environmental problems can ultimately be attributed to the environmental decisions and actions of human beings. These behaviors can in turn be understood as resulting from the nature and limitations of the human mind and the social context in which behavior takes place. Knowledge of the root causes of environmentally harmful behavior is essential for designing effective solutions to environmental problems. The goals of the course are (1) to provide students with the basic social science knowledge needed to understand and evaluate the behavioral aspects of such important environmental problems as air and water pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, preserving biological diversity, and hazardous waste and (2) to help students identify and improve shortcomings in their knowledge and decisions related to the environment. Topics will include, but not be limited to: environmental problems as "tragedies of the commons"; public understanding of global warming and global climate modeling; folk biology; risk perception; intelligent criticism of environmental claims; making effective personal environmental choices; strategies for promoting proenvironmental behavior and human ability to model and manage the global environmental future.
Recommended background: ENV 1100.
Suggested background: PSY 1400, PSY 1401, or PSY 1402.
Students may not receive credit for both PSY 2405 and ENV 2400.
This course will be offered in 2009-10 and in alternate years thereafter.
ENV 2600. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Cat. II
Environment and development are often seen as incompatible, in part because many poor people in the developing world depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods. At the same time, poor people are often seen as responsible for causing environmental degradation because they lack the knowledge, skills and resources to manage the environment effectively. The vicious circle is completed as environmental degradation exacerbates poverty. However, optimists argue that poor people can and do contribute positively to environmental outcomes, that states and organizations can facilitate their efforts and that environmental interventions can coincide with development. This course will examine these different perspectives on environmental problems in the developing world through the insights and critiques of social science. Subjects covered include sustainable development, population, environmental risks, gender, urbanization, environmental decision making, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The goals of this course are to think critically about the various links between environment and development and the role of governmental and non-governmental organizations in promoting sustainable development in the developing world.
Recommended Background: ENV 1100
(This course will be offered in 2011-12 and in alternating years thereafter.)
ENV 280X. ENVIRONMENTAL AND RISK COMMUNICATION
Individuals and communities confronting environmental risks must come to terms with how to adapt to or cope with them. Examples include promotion of more healthy diets and lifestyles, preventing exposures to harmful pollution, how to have less of an impact on environmental resources, and what to do in the face of a disaster. Information is a key to how decisions about what to do are shaped, influencing both perceptions of risks and understanding of what might be done about them. Communication of this information comes in many forms and involves many different actors, including government agencies, the media, friends, and family. In this course we will explore how information about risks and the environment is processed and evaluated and how communication influences attitudes and behaviors about risks and the environment. We will draw on interpersonal, group, organizational, and mass communication theories and a wide range of examples to explore these issues.
Recommended background: ENV 1100
ENV 4400. SENIOR SEMINAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.
Cat. I
This course is designed to integrate each student’s educational experience (e.g., core courses, area of focus, IQP, and MQP) in a capstone seminar in Environmental Studies. Through seminar discussions and writing assignments students will critically reflect on what they learned in their previous courses and project experiences. In teams, students will prepare a final capstone paper and presentation that critically engages their educational experience and anticipates how their courses and experiences will translate into their future personal and professional experiences.
Recommended background: ENV 1100, ENV 2200 or ENV 2400, completion or concurrent enrollment in IQP and MQP.
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